
Class___ 
Book_ 



■ 352 



THE DIALECT OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, 

PARTICULARLY 

&omtt8ttffl)ivt> 



"Goo little Reed ! 
" Aforn tha vawk, an vor me plead : 
" Thy wild nawtes, ma-be, tha ool hire 
"Zooner than zater vrom a lare. 
" Za that thy Maester's pleas'd ta blaw 'em, 
" An haups in time tha'll come ta knaw 'em 
" An nif za be tha'll please ta hear, 
" A'll gee zum moor another year." — The Farewell. 



THE 



\whrt of i\t Wtfti of (Knglmtir. 



PARTICULARLY 



SOMERSETSHIRE; 

WITH A GLOSSARY OF WORDS NOW IN USE THERE : 

ALSO WITH POEMS AND OTHER PIECES 

EXEMPLIFYING THE DIALECT. 

By JAMES JENNINGS, 

HONORARY SECRETARY OF THE METROPOLITAN' LITERARY 
INSTITUTION, LONDON. 



SECOND EDITION, 

THE WHOLE REVISED, CORRECTED, AND ENLARGED, WITH TWO 

DISSERTATIONS ON THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS, 

AND OTHER PIECES, 

By JAMES KNIGHT JENNINGS, M.A., 

Late Scholar and Librarian, Queens' College, Cambridge; 

Vicar of Hagbourn, Berkshire; 

and Minister of Catcott Donative, SomersetsMre. 

? 



LONDON : 
JOHN RUSSELL SMITH, 36, SOHO SQUARE. 



MDCCCLXIX. 



5** 



FS'^iL 



i<n 



< 
I 

TO 
I 

*. THA DWELLERS 0' THA WEST. 



Tha Fruit o' longvul labour, years, 

In theaze veo leaves at last appears, 

Ta You, tha Dwellers o' tha West. 

I'm pleas'd that tha shood be addresst : 

Yor thaw I now in Lunnun dwell, 

I mine ye still — I love ye well ; 

And niver, niver sholi vorget 

I vust draw'd breath in Zummerzet ; 

Amangst ye liv'd, and left ye zorry, 

As you'll knaw when you hire my storry, 

Theaze little Book than take o' me \ 

'Tis all I ha just now ta gee. 

An when you rade o' Tommy Gool, 

Or Tommy Came, or Pal at school, 

Or Mr, Guy, or Fanny Fear, — 

(I thenk you'll shod vor her a tear) 

Tha Rookery, or Marys Crutch, 

Tha cap o' which I love ta touch. 

You'll vine that I do not vorget 

My naatal swile- — dear Zummerzet. 

JAS. JENNINGS, 



PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 



In preparing this second edition of my relative's 
work, I have incorporated the results of observations 
made by me during several years' residence in Somer- 
setshire, in the centre of the district. I have also 
availed myself by kind permission, of hints and 
suggestions in two papers, entitled ." Somersetshire 
Dialect," read by T. S. Baynes in 1856, and reprinted 
from the Taunton Courier, in London, in 1861. 

During the forty years which have elapsed since the 
first edition, very much light has been thrown on the 
subject of Provincial Dialects, and after all much 
remains to be discovered. I consider with Mr. Baynes 
that there is more of the pure Anglo-Saxon in the west 
of England dialect, as this district was the seat of 
classical Anglo-Saxon, which first rose here to a na- 
tional tongue, and lasted longer in a great measure 
owing to its distance from the Metropolis, from which 
cause also it was less subject to modern modification. 

I shall be happy to receive any suggestions from 
Philological scholars, which may increase the light 
thrown on the subject, and by which a third edition 
may be improved. 

Hagboum Vicarage, August, 1869. 



PEEFACE. 

The usefulness of works like the present is too 
generally admitted to need any apology for their 
publication. There is. notwithstanding, in their very 
nature a dryness, which requires relief : the author 
trusts, therefore, that, in blending something imaginative 
with the details of philological precision, his work will 
afford amusement to the reader. 

The Glossary contains the fruit of years of unwearied 
attention to the subject \ and it is hoped that the book 
will be of some use in elucidating our old writers, in 
affording occasional help to the etymology of the 
Anglo-Saxon portion of our language, and in exhibit- 
ing a view of the present state of an important dialect 
of the western provinces of England. 

A late excursion through the West has, however, 
induced the Author to believe that some valuable 
information may yet remain to be gathered from our 
Anglo-Saxon dialect — more especially from that part 
of it still used by the common people and the yeo- 
manry. He therefore respectfully solicits communica- 
tions from those who feel an interest in this department 
of our literature \ by which a second edition may be. 
materially improved. 

To a native of the west of England this volume 
will be found a vade-mecum of reference, and assist the 

b 



X PREFACE. 

reminiscence of well-known, and too often unnoted 
peculiarities and words, which are fast receding from 
the polish of elegance, and the refinement of literature. 
In regard to the Poetical Pieces, it may be men- 
tioned that most of them are founded on West Country 
Stories, the incidents in which actually occurred. If 
some of the subjects should be thought trifling, it must 
not be forgotten that the primary object has been, to 
exemplify the Dialect, and that common subjects 
offered the best means of effectuating such an object. 
Of such Poems as Good Bivye ta thee Cot ; the Rookery ; 
and Mary Ramsey's Crutch, it may be observed, that 
had the Author felt less he might, perhaps, have 
written better. 

Metropolitan Literary Institution, London, 
March 25, 1825. 



CONTENTS. 



Dedication . . . v 

Preface to the Second Edition vii 

Preface to the First Edition ..... ix 
Observations on some of the Dialects of the West 

of England, particularly Somersetshire xiii — xxiv 
A Glossary of Words commonly used in Somerset- 
shire 1 

Poems and other Pieces, exemplifying the Dialect 

of the County of Somerset 79 

Good Bwye ta Thee Cot 81 

Fanny Fear 84 

Jerry Nutty 90 

Legend of Glastonbury 102 

Mr. Guy 103 

The Rookery 104 

Tom Gool Ill 

Teddy Band — a Zong — Hunting for Sport . . .115 

The Churchwarden 119 

The Fisherman and the Players . . . .- 124 

Mary Eamsey's Crutch 126 

Hannah Verrior 128 



Xll CONTENTS. 

Remembrance 129 

Doctor Cox 130 

The Farewell 138 

Farmer Bennet an Jan Lide, a Dialogue . . .139 

Thomas Came an Young Maester Jimmy, a Dia 

logue 140 

Mary Ramsay, a Monologue . . . . . .142 

Soliloquy of Ben Bond ...... 144 

Two Dissertations on Anglo-Saxon Pronouns . .150 
Miss Ham on the Somerset Dialect .... 164 

"Concluding Observations . ... 164 



OBSEBYATIOXS. &c. 



The following Glossary includes the whole of 
Somerset, East of the Paver Parret, as well as 
adjoining parts of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, 
West of the Parret many of the words are pro- 
nounced very differently, indeed, so as to mark 
strongly the people who use them. [This may be 
seen more fully developed in two papers, by T. 
Spencer Baynes, read before the Somersetshire 
Archaeological Society, entitled the Somersetshire 
Dialect, printed 1861, 18mo, to whom I here 
acknowledge my obligations for several hints 
and suggestions, of which I avail myself in this 
edition of my late relative's work]. 

The chief peculiarity West of the Parret, is the 
ending of the third person singular, present tense 
of verbs, in th or eth : as, he lov'ih, zee'th, &c, for 
he loves, sees, &c. 

In the pronouns, they have Ise for 1, and cr for 
he. In fact the peculiarities and contractions of 



xiv OBSERVATIONS. 

the Western District are puzzling to a stranger. 
Thus, her is frequently used for she. " Har'th a 
doo'd it" is, she has done it," (I shall occasionally 
in the Glossary note such words as distinguishingly 
characterise that district). 

Two of the most remarkable peculiarities of the 
dialect of the West of England, and particularly of 
Somersetshire, are the sounds given to the vowels 
A and E. A, is almost always sounded open, as in 
father, rather, or somewhat like the usual sound of 
a in balloon, calico, lengthened ; it is so pronounced 
in ball, call. I shall use for this sound the circum- 
flex over the a, thus a or a. E, has commonly tjie 
same sound as the French gave it, which is, in 
fact, the slender of A, as heard in pane fane, 
cane, &c. The hard sound given in our polished 
dialect to the letters th, in the majority of words 
containing those letters [as in through, three, thing, 
think], expressed by the Anglo-Saxon $, is fre- 
quently changed in the Western districts into the 
sound given in England to the letter d : 

as for three, we have dree 

for thread, dread, or dird, 

through, droo, throng, drong, or rather drang ; 

thrush } dirsh, &c> 



OBSERVATIONS. XV 

The consonant and vowel following d, changing 
places. The slender or soft sound given to th in 
our polished dialect, is in the West, most com- 
monly converted into the thick or obtuse sound 
of the same letters as heard in the words this, these 
&c, and this too, whether the letters be at the 
beginning or end of words. I am much disposed 
to believe that our Anglo-Saxon ancestors, used 
indiscriminately the letters d and s for D only, 
and sounded them as such, as we find now 
frequently in the West ; although our lexicographers 
usually have given the two sounds of th to D 
and 5 respectively. The vowel is used for a, 
as Jwnd, dorke, lorke, hort, in hand, dark, lark, heart, 
&c, and other syllables are lengthened, as voote, lade, 
dade, for foot, bed, dead. The letter in no, gold, &c, 
is sounded like aw in aivful ; I have therefore spelt 
it with this diphthong instead of a. Such word as 
jay for joy, and a few others, I have not noted. 
Another remarkable fact is the disposition to invert 
the order of some consonants in some words ; as 
the r in thrush, brush, rush, run, &c, pronouncing 
them dirsh, birsh, hirsh, hirn ; also transposition of 
p and s in such words as clasp, hasp, asp, &c, 
sounded claps, haps, aps, &c. I have not inserted all 



XVI OBSERVATIONS. 

these words in the Glossary, as these general remarks 
will enable the student to detect the words which 
are so inverted. It is by no means improbable 
that the order in which such sounds are now 
repeated in the West, is the original order in which 
they existed in our language, and that our more 
polished mode of expressing them is a new and 
perhaps a corrupt enunciation. Another peculiarity 
is that of joining the letter y at the end of some verbs 
in the infinitive mood, as well as to parts of different 
conjugations, thus, " I can't sewy, nuvsy, reapy, to 
sawy, to sewy, to nursy, &c. A further peculiarity 
is the love of vowel sound, and opening out mono- 
syllables of our polished dialect into two or more 
syllables, thus : 

ay-er, for air ; boo- ath, for both ; 

fay-er, for fair ; vi-er for fire ; 

stay-ers for stairs ; show-er for sure ; 

vroo-rst for post ; boo-ath for both ; 

bre-ash for brush ; chee-ase for cheese ; 

kee-ard for card ; gee-ate for gate ; 

mee-ade for mead ; mee-olk for milk ; &c. 
Chaucer gives many of them as dissyllables. 

The verb to be retains much of its primitive form: 
thus I he, thou, or thee, ieest, or bist, we be, you he, 



OBSERVATIONS. XT11 

they be, thti he, are continually heard for I am, &c, 
he be is rarely used : but he is. In the past tense. 
war is used for was, and were : / war, thou- or thee 
wart, he war, &c 3 we have besides, v:em, you'm, 

tliey'm, for we, you, they, are, there is a constant 
tendency to pleonasm in some cases, as well as to 
contraction, and elision in others. Thus we have 
a lost, agone, ahought, &c, for lost, gone, bought, &c, 
Chaucer has many of these prefixes ; but he often 
uses y instead of a, as ylost. The frequent use of 
Z and V, the softened musical sounds for S and F, 
together with the frequent increase and multiplica- 
tion of vowel sounds, give the dialect a by no means 
inharmonious expression, certainly it would not 
be difficult to select many words which may for 
their modulation compete with others of French 
extraction, and, perhaps be superior to many others 
which we have borrowed from other languages, 
much less analogous to the polished dialect of our 
own. I have added, in pursuance of these ideas, 
some poetical and prose pieces in the dialect of 
Somersetshire, in which the idiom is tolerably 
well preserved, and the pronunciation is conveyed 
in letters, the nearest to the sound of the words, 
as there are in truth many sounds for which we 
have neither letters, nor combinations of letters to 



XV111 OBSERVATIONS. 

express them. [I might at some future period, if 
thought advisable, go into a comparison between 
the sound of all the letters of the alphabet pro- 
nounced in Somersetshire, and in our polished 
dialect, but I doubt if the subject is entitled to 
this degree of criticism]. The reader will bear in 
mind that these poems are composed in the dialect 
of Somerset, north east of the Parret, which is by 
far the most general. 

In the Guardian, published about a century ago, 
is a paper No. 40, concerning pastoral poetry, 
supposed to have been written by Pope, to extol 
his own pastorals and degrade those of Ambrose 
Phillips. In this essay there is a quotation from a 
pretended Somersetshire poem. But it is evident 
Popeknew little or nothing about the Somersetshire 
dialect. Here are a few lines from " this old West 
country bard of ours," as Pope calls him : 

'• Cicely. Ah Eager, Eager, clier was zore avraid, 

" When in yond vield you kiss'd the parson's maid : 

" Is this the love that once to me you zed, 

" When from tha wake thou broughtst me gingerbread ?" 

Now first, this is a strange admixture of dialects, 
but neither east, west, north, nor south. 

Chez is nowhere used ; but in the southern part 
utche or iche, is sometimes spoken contractedly 
die. [See utchy in the Glossary]. 



OBSERVATIONS. XIX 

Yield for field, should be veel. 

Wake is not used in Somersetshire ; but revel is 
the word. 

Parson, in Somersetshire, dealer, is pdson. 

In another line he calls the cows, hee, which is 
not Somersetian ; nor is, be go for begone: it 
should, be givon ; nor is Tve a be ; but I've a bin, 
Somersetian. 

The idiomatic expressions in this dialect 
are numerous, many will be found in the 
Glossary ; the following may be mentioned. Td 
'sley do it, for 1 would as lief do it. I have 
occasionally in the Glossary suggested the ety- 
mology of some words; by far the greater part have 
an Anglo-Saxon, some perhaps a Danish origin; 
[and when we recollect that Alfred the Great, a good 
Anglo-Saxon scholar, was born at Wantage in 
Berks, on the border of Wilts, had a palace at 
Chippenham, and was for some time resident in 
Athelney, we may presume that traditional remains 
of him may have influenced the language or dialect 
of Somersetshire, and I am inclined to think that 
the present language and pronunciation of Somer- 
setshire were some centuries past, general in the 
south portion of our island.] 



XX OBSERVATIONS. 

In compiling this Glossary, I give the fruits 
of twenty-five years' assiduity, and have defined 
words, not from books, but from actual usage ; 
I have however carefully consulted Junius, 
Skinner, Minshew, and some other old lexico- 
graphers, and find many of their definitions 
correspond with my own ; but I avoid conjectural 
etymology. Few dictionaries of our language are 
to be obtained, published from the invention of print- 
ing to the end of the 16th century, a period of about 
150 years. They throw much light on our 
provincial words, yet after all, our old writers are 
our chief resource, [and doubtless many MSS. in 
various depositories, written at different periods^ 
and recently brought to light, from the Eecord 
and State Paper Office, and historical societies, 
will throw much light on the subject] ; and an 
abundant harvest offers in examining them, by 
which to make an amusing book, illustrative of our 
provincial words and ancient manners. I think we. 
cannot avoid arriving at the conclusion, that the 
Anglo-Saxon dialect, of which I conceive the 
Western dialect to be a striking portion, has 
been gradually giving way to our polished idiom ; 
and is considered a barbarism, and yet many of 
the sounds of that dialect are found in Holland and 



OBSERVATIONS. XXI 

Germany, as a part of the living language of these 
countries. I am contented with having thus 
far elucidated the language of my native county, 
I have omitted several words, which I supposed 
provincial, and which are frequent to the west, as 
they are found in the modern dictionaries, still I 
have allowed a few, which are in Eichardson's 
Johnson. 

Thee is used for the nominative thou; which latter 
word is seldom used, diphthong sounds used in 
this dialect are : 

uai, uoa, uoi, uoy, as 
guain, (gwain), quoat, buoil, buoy ; 
such is the disposition to pleonasm in the use of 
the demonstrative pronouns, that they are very often 
used with the adverb there. Thedze here, thick there, 
[thicky there, west of the Parret] theasam here, 
theazamy here, them there, themmy there. The sub- 
stitution of V for F, and Z (Izzarcl, Shard, for S, is 
one of the strongest words of numerous dialects.) 

In words ending with j) followed by s, the letters 
change places as : 

hasp — haps ; clasp — claps, 

wasp — waps ; 

In a paper by General Vallancey in the second 



XX11 OBSERVATIOXS. 

volume of the Transactions of the Royal Irish 
Academy, read Dec. 27, 1788, it appears that a 
colony of English soldiers settled in the Baronies 
of Forth Bargie, in the county of Wexford, in 
Ireland, in 1167, 1168, and 1169 ; and that colony 
preserved their customs, manners, and language to 
1788. There is added in that paper a vocabulary of 
their language, and a song, handed down by 
tradition from the arrival of the colony more than 
600 years since. I think there can be no question 
that these Irish colonists were from the West of 
England, from the apparent admixture of dialects 
in the vocabulary and sovg, although the language 
is much altered from the Anglo-Saxon of Somer- 
setshire.* The w 7 ords nouth, knoweth ; zin t sin, 
vrast, frost ; die, day ; Zatharclie, Saturday ; 
Zindii, Sunday ; and a few others, indicate an 
origin west of the Parret. There are many words 
which with a trifling alteration in spelling, would 
suit at the present time the north eastern portion 

* This subject has been more fully treated in the following 
work : A Glossary, with some pieces of verse of the old 
dialect of the English colony in the Baronies of .Forth and 
Bargy, Co. Wexford, Ireland. Formerly collected by Jacob 
Poole, of Growton, now r edited with Notes and Introduction 
by the Bev. W. Barnes, author of the Dorset Poems and 
Glossary, fcap. 8vo, 1867. 



OBSERVATIONS. XX111 

of the county : as blauther, bladder : crwest, crust ; 
smill, smell ; shir, to rise in the air [see sheer] ; vier, 
fire ; vier, a weasel ; zar, to serve ; zatch, such, &c. 
From such words as cliam, add cliuh, the southern 
part of the county is clearly indicated. I think 
the disposition to elision and contraction is as. 
evident here as it is at present in Somersetshire 
In the song, there are marks of its having undergone 
change since its first introduction. 

Lowthee is evidently derived from leivth [see 
Glossary] lewthy, will be, abounding in leivth, i. e. 
sheltered. 

The line 

" As by mizluch wus I pit f drive in" 
would in the present Somerset dialect stand thus : 

" That by mislueh war a put ta dreav in" 

That by mis luck was placed to drive in. 

In the line 

" Chote well ar aim wai f yie ouz neer a bloice" 
the word chete is, I suspect, compounded of 9 ch* 
[iehe] and hnew, implying 1 knea\ or rather Ihnewd, 
or hnewt* 

* The following is from an amatory poem, written in or 
about the reign of Henry II., during which the colony of 
the English was established in the county of Wexford. 
" Icho^ from heune iz is me sem." 



XxiV OBSERVATIONS. 

The modern English of the line will then be, 

1 Jcnevj well their aim was to give us ner a blow. 

I suspect zitckel is compounded of zitch, such, 
and the auxiliary verb will. I vieiv ame, is a veo 
o'm ; that is, a few of them. Emethee, is emmtey, that 
is, abounding with ants. Meulten atvay, is melting 
away. 

TKast ee pait it, thee'st a paid it ; thou hast 
paid it. 

In the English translation which accompanies the 
original song in General Vallancey's paper, some of 
the words are, I think, beyond controversy misin- 
terpreted, but I have not room to go critically 
through it. All I desire should be inferred from 
these remarks is, that, although this Anglo-Saxon 
curiosity is well worthy the attention of those who 
take an interest in our early literature, we must be 
careful not to assume that it is a pure specimen of 
the language of the period to which, and of the 
people to whom, it is said to relate. 

In Johnson's History of the English Language, page liii. 
it is thus translated — 

" I wot (believe) it is sent me from heaven." 

To an admirer of onr Anglo-Saxon all the lines, twelve 
in number, quoted by M. Todd with the above, will be found 
a rich treat : want of space only prevents my giving them 
here. 



A 

GLOSSARY OF WORDS 

COMMONLY USED m THE 

Cmmtp of j^miursM, 

BUT WHICH ARE NOT ACCCEPTED AS LEGITIMATE WOBDS 

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE; 

OR 

WORDS 

WHICH, ALTHOUGH ONCE USED GENERALLY. ABE NOW 
BECOME PROVINCIAL. 



A GLOSSARY OF WORDS 

USED IN 

SOMEBSETSHIKE. 



A. 

A. adv. Yes ; or pron. He : as a zed a?d do it ; he 

said he'd do it. 
Aa'th, s. earth. 
Ab 7 bey. s. The great white poplar : one of the 

varieties of the populus alba. 
Ab 'bey-lubber, s. A lazy, idle fellow. 
Abought. part. Bought. See Vaught. 
Abrood 7 . adv. When a hen is sitting on her eggs she 

is said to be abroad. 

Ad'dle. s. A swelling with matter in it. 

Ad died. a. Having pus or corruption ; hence 

Ad'dled-egg. s. An egg in a state of putrefaction. 

Affeard'. a. Afraid. 

Afo're. 1 

Afo'rn i P re P- and adv. Before \ afore, Chaucer. 

Again, prep. Against. 

Agon 7 . ( adv. [these words literally mean gone.] 
A goo 7 . (^ Ago ; agoo, Chaucer ; from the verb to goo, 
i.e. to go; he is up and agoo • he is up and gone. 



4 GLOSSARY. 

Alas-a-day. interj. A-lack-a-day. 

Ale. s. A liquor, brewed with a proportion of malt 
from about four to six bushels to the hogshead 
of 63 gallons ; if it contain more malt it is called 
beer ; if less, it is usually called small beer. 

Aller. s. The alder tree. 

Alles. adv. Always. 

All "once, \pron. [all ones] or rather (all o'n's) All of 

us ; Let's go allonce ; let us go all of us. 
All o's. pron. All of us. 
Alost'. pari. Lost : ylost, Chaucer. 
Amang . prep. Among. 

Amawst'.j^ Almost 
Amoo ast J 

Am per. s. A small red pimple. 

Anby . adv. Some time hence ; in the evening. 

An ear . \ 

Ane'ast. \prep. Nigh to; aneast en, near him, 

Aneoust', ) 

Aneen. On end, upright. 

An'passy. s. The sign &, corrupted from and per se. 

Anty. adj. Empty. 

Apast'. part, and prep. Past ; apast. Chaucer. 

A'pricock. s. An apricot. 

Aps. s. The asp tree ; populus tremula. 

Aps en. a. Made of the v/ood of the asp ; belonging 

to the asp. 
To Arg. v. ft. To argue. 



GLOSSARY. 

To Ar'gufy. v. n.. To hold an argument ; to argue. 

Ascri'cle. adv. Across ; astride. 

Aslen'. adv. Aslope, 

Assu'e. adj. When a cow is let up in order that she 

may calve, she is said to be assue — having no 

milk. 

Ater. prep. After. Goo ater'n : go after him. 

Athin. adv. Within. 

Athout. prep. Without. 

Auverdro. v. a. Overthrow. 

Avaur'. \ 

Avaur 'en. \prep. Before. 

Avaurn. ) 

Avoordin. part Affording. 

Avraur'. adj. Frozen ; stiff with frost. 

Awa kid. adj. Awake ; awakid, Chaucer. 

To Ax. v. a. To ask; ax, Chaucer. 

Ax' en. s. pi. Ashes. 

Axing, s. and part. Asking; axing, Chaucer. 

A^ir. s. Air. 

B. 

Back'sid. s. A barton. 

Back'y. s. Tobacco. 

Bad. adv. Badly. 

Bade. s. Bed. 

Ba'ginet. s. Bayonet. 

Baily. s. A bailiff; a superintendent of an estate. 



GLOSSARY. 

Ball. adj. Bald. 
Ballet, s. Ballad. 
Ball'rib. s. A sparerib. 

To Ballirag. v. a. To abuse with foul words ; to scold. 
To Ban. v. a. To shut out ; to stop. 
To Bane. v. a. To afflict with a mortal disease ; ap- 
plied to sheep. See to Coathe. 

To Barenhond'. 1 v. n. (used chiefly in the third person 
To Banehond'. J singular) to signify intention ; to 
intimate. 

These words are in very common use in the 
West of England. It is curious to note their 
gradation from Chaucer, whose expression is 
Beren hem on hond, or bare him on hond; imply- 
ing always, it appears to me, the same meaning 
as I have given to the words above. There is, I 
think, no doubt, that these expressions of Chaucer, 
which he has used several times in his works, are 
figurative ; when Chaucer tells us he beren hem 
in hond, the literal meaning is, he carried it in, 
or on, his hand so that it might be readily seen. 
" To bear on hand, to affirm, to relate." — Jamie- 
son's Etymological Scots Dictionary. But, what- 
ever be the meaning of these words in Chaucer, 
and at the present time in Scotland, the above 
is the meaning of them in the west of England. 

Banes, s. pi. The banns of matrimony. 

Ban'nin. s. That which is used for shutting out or 
stopping. 



> s. A bee-hive. 



glossary. 7 

Ban'nut. s. A walnut. [Only used in northern parts 

of county.] 
Barrow-pig. s. A gelt pig. 

Baw'ker. 1 s. A stone used for whetting scythes; 

Baw'ker-stone. J a kind of sand-stone. 

To BecalK v. a. To censure; to reprove; to. chide. 

Bee'as. \s. pi. [Beasts] Cattle. Applied only to Oxen 

Bease. J not Sheep. 

Bee-but. 

Bee-lippen. 

Bee'dy. s. A chick. 

Beedy's-eyes. s.pl. Pansy, love-in-idleness. 

Beer. s. See Ale. 

Befor'n. prep. Before. 

To Begird'ge, ) 

To Begrud'ge. ] v ' a ' To § rud § e ' to env ^ 

Lord Byron has used the verb begrudge in his 
notes to the 2nd canto of Childe Harold. 

Begor'z. "I . 

Begum'mer s j '*' 

These words are, most probably, oaths of assevera- 
tion. The last appears to be a corruption of by 
godmothers. Both are thrown into discourse very 
frequently : Begummers, I ont tell; I cant do it 
begorz. 

Begrumpled. part. Soured; offended. 

To Belg. v. n. To cry aloud ; to bellow. 



8 GLOSSARY. 

Bell-flower, s. A daffodil. 

To Belsli. v. a. To cut off dung, &c, from the tails of 
sheep. 

Beneapt. part. Left aground by the recess of the 
spring tides. 

To Benge. v. n. To remain long in drinking ; to drink 

to excess. 

Ben net. v. Long coarse grass. 
Ben'nety. adj. Abounding in bennets. 
Berlin, s. [burying] A funeral procession. 
To Beskum'iner. v. a. To foul with a dirty liquid ; to 
besmear. 

To Bethink v. a. To grudge. 

Bettermost. adj. The best of the better ; not quite 
amounting to the best. 

Betwat'tlecl. part. In a distressing and confused state 
of mind. 

To Bet wit 7 , v. a. To upbraid ; to repeat a past circum- 
stance aggravatingly. 

To Bib'ble. v. n. To drink often ; to tope. 

Bib'bler. $. One who drinks often ; a toper. 

Billid. adj. Distracted ; mad. 

Billy, s. A bundle of wheat straw. 

Bi'meby. adv. By-and-by ; some time hence. 

Bin. conj. Because ; probably corrupted from, being. 

Bin nick. s. A small fish ; minnow ; Cyprinus 
phloxinus. 



GLOSSARY. .y 

Bird-battin. s. The catching of birds with a net and 
lights by night. Fielding uses the expression. 

Bird-battin-net. s. The net used in bird-battin. 
Birchen, adj. Made of birch ; relating to birch. 
Bis gee. s. (g hard), A rooting axe. 
Bisky. s. Biscuit. 

The pronunciation of this word approximates 
nearer to the sound of the French cuit [ tt twice 

baked '"] the t being omitted in this dialect. 

To BiVer. v. n. To quiver j to shake. 

Black-pot. s. Black-pudding. 

Black ymoor. s. A negro. 

Blackymoor's-beauty. s. Sweet scabious : the musk- 
flower. 

Blanker, s. A spark of fire. 

Blanscue. s. Misfortune : unexpected accident. 

Blather, s. Bladder. To blather, v. n. To talk fast, 
and nonsensically [to talk so fast that bladders form 
■ at the mouth] 

Bleachy. adj. Brackish : saltish : applied to water. 

Blind-buck-and-Davy. s. Blind-man's buffi Blindbuck 
and have ye. is no doubt the origin of this appella- 
tion for a well-known amusement. 

Blis'som. ad. Blithesome. 

Blood-sucker, s. A leech. 

Bloody- warrior, s. The wall-flower. 

Boar. s. The peculiar head or first flowing of water 
from one to two feet high at spring tides, in the 



10 GLLSSARY. 

river Parret a few miles below and at Bridge- 
water, and in some other rivers. 

[In Johnson's Dictionary this is spelt bore ; I 
prefer the above spelling. I believe the word is 
derived from the animal Boar, from the noise, 
rushing, and impetuosity of the water, Todd gives 
it " a tide swelling above another tide." Writers 
vary in their opinions on the causes of this 
phenomenon. St. Pierre. Ouvres, torn vi., p. 234, 
Ed. Hamburgh, 1797, describes it not exactly the 
same in the Seine as in the Parret : — " Cette 
montagne d'eau est produite par les marees qui 
entrent, de la mer clans la Seine, et la font refluer 
contre son cours. On l'appelle la Barre, parce- 
qu'elle barre le cours de la Seine. Cette barre 
est suiv£e d'une seconde barre plus elevee, qui la 
suit a cent toises de distance. Elles courent 
beaucoup plus vite qu'un cheval au galop." He 
says it is called Bar, because it bars the current. 
In the Encyclop. Metropol., art. Bore, the 
editor did not seem more fortunate in his 
derivation. 

Bobbish, adj. In health and spirits. \Pirty bobbish, 
pretty well.] 

Bonk. s. Bank. 

Booat. s. Boat. 

Boo'ath. pron. Both. u Boo'aih o' ye ; both of you. 

Bor'rid. adj. A sow is said to be borrid when she 
wants the male. 

Bote, part Bought. 



GLOSSARY. . 1 1 

Bow. 8. A small arched bridge. 

Boy's-love. s. Southernwood; a species of mugwort; 
artemisia abrotonum. 

Brave, adj. Well; recovering. 

Bran. s. A brand ; a. stump of a tree, or other irre- 
gular and large piece of wood, fit only for burning. 

Bran-vier. s. A fire made with brands. 

Bran'dis. s. A semicircular implement of iron, made 
to be suspended over the fire, on which various 
things may be prepared; it is much used for 
warming milk. 

Brash, s. Any sudden development ; a crash. 

Brickie, ) ' ^ . ■ ., ", 

f> • -U./1 r ac y* Brittle ; easily broken. 

Brim'mle. s. A bramble. 

To Bring gwain. v. a. [To bring going.'] To spend ; to 

accompany some distance on a journey. 
To Brit. v. a. To indent; to make an impression : 

applied to solid bodies. 
Brock, s. An irregular piece of peat dried for fuel ; a 

piece of turf. See Turf. 

n adj. Not coherent ; easily separable : applied 
Bruckle, / to solid bodies. " My things are but in a 
Bruckly, ( bruckle state." Waverley, v. 2, p. 328, 

J edit. 1821. See Brickle. 

Bruckleness. s. The state of being bruckle. 

To Buck. v. n. To swell out. 

To Bud'dle. v. To suffocate in mud. 



12 ' GLOSSARY. 

To Bulge, v. a. To indent; to make an irregular 

impression on a solid body • to bruise. It is also 

used in a neuter sense. 
Bulge, s. An indentation • an irregular impression 

made on some solid body ; a swelling outwards 

or depression inwards. 
Bul'len. adj. Wanting the bull. 
Bullins. s. pi. Large black sloes ; a variety of the 

wild plum. 

Bun'gee. s. (g hard), Any thing thick and squat. 

Bunt, ) 

x> ,. >s. Bolting cloth. 

Bunting, j & 

Bunt. s. A bolting-mill. 

To Bunt. v. a. To separate flour from the bran. 

Bur'cot. s. A load. 

Buss. s. A half grown calf. 

But. s. A conical and peculiar kind of basket or trap 
used in large numbers for catching salmon in the 
river Parret. The term hut, would seem to be 
a generic one^ the actual meaning of which I do 
not know ; it implies, however^ some containing 
vessel or utensil. See Bee-but. But, applied to 
beef, always means buttock. 

Butter-and-eggs. s. A variety of the daffodil. 

Bwile. v. Boil. 

Bwye. inter j. Bye ! adieu. This, as well as good-bye 
and good-bwye, is evidently corrupted from God 
be with you; God-be-wi' ye, equivalent to the 
French a Dieu, to God. Bwye, and good-bwye, 



GLOSSARY. 13 

are, therefore, how vulgar soever they may seem, 
more analogous than bye and good-bye. 



C. 



C ally van', s. A pyramidal trap for catching birds. 
Car'riter. s. Character. 
Cas. Because. 

Cass'n, Cass'n't. Canst not : as, Thee cass'n do it, thou 
canst not do it. 

Catch corner. A game commonly called elsewhere 
puss in the corner. 

Cat'terpillar. s. The cockchafer; Scarabeus melo- 
lontha. 

West of the Parret this insect is called ivock- 
web, oak-web, because it infests the oak, and spins 
its web on it in great numbers. 

Ckaity. adj. Careful ; nice ; delicate. 

To Cham. v. a. To chew. 

Chamer. s. A chamber. 

Change, s. A shift; the garment worn by females 

next the skin. 
Chay r er. s. A chair ; chayer — Chaucer. 
Chick-a-beedy. s. A chick. 
'Chill. I will. 
Chimley. s. A chimney. 
Chine, s. The prominence of the staves beyond the 

head of a cask. This word is well known to 



14 GLOSSARY. 

coopers throughout England, and ought to be in 
our dictionaries. 

To Chis'som. v. n. To bud ; to shoot out. 
Chis'som. s. a small shoot ; a budding out. 
Chit'terlins. s. pi. The frills around the bosom of shirt. 

Choor. s. A job ; any dirty household work ; a 
troublesome job. 

Choor 'er, ] s. A woman who goes out to do any 

Choor'-woman, J kind of odd and dirty work ; hence 

the term char-woman in our polished dialect ; 

but it ought to be choor-woman. 

To Choory. v. To do any kind of dirty household work. 
Chub'by. adj. Full, swelling ; as chubby-faced. 
Claps, s. A clasp. 
To claps, v. a. To clasp. 

Clavy and Clavy-piece. s. A mantel-piecce. 

\Clavy was probably given to that piece of wood 
or other material laid over the front of the fire- 
place, because in many houses the keys are often 
hung on nails or pins driven into it ; hence from 
clavis (Latin) a key, comes clavy, the place where 
the keys are hung.] 

Clavy-tack. s. The shelf over [tacked on to] the 
mantel-piece. 

Clear-and-sheer. adv. Completely ; totally. 

Cleve-pink. s. A species of Carnation which grows 
wild in the crannies of Cheddar-cliffs : a variety of 
the Dianthus deltoides ; it has an elegant smell. 



GLOSSARY. 15 

To Clim. ) 

To dimmer. J Vm a% ^° c ^ m ^ \ *° clamber. 

dingers, s. pi. Bricks or other earthy matter run into 
irregular shapes by action of heat. 

Clinker-bell. s. An icicle. 

Clint, v. a. To clench ; to finish ; to fasten firmly. 

Cliver-ancl-Shiver. adv. Completely; totally. 

Clit. v. n. To be imperfectly fermented : applied to 

bread. 
Clit'ty. adj. Imperfectly fermented. 
Clize, s. A place or drain for the discharge of water 

regulated by a valve or door, which permits a 

free outlet, but no inlet for return of water. 
Coase. adj. Coarse. 
Coathe. v. a. To bane : applied to sheep. 
Cob-wall. s. Mud-wall ; a wall made of clay mixed 

with straw. 
Cockygee. s. Cockagee ; a rough sour apple. 

Cocklawt. s. A garret ; cock-loft. 

Originally, most probably, a place where the 

fowls roosted. 
Cock-squailing. s. A barbarous game, consisting in 

tying a cock to a stake, and throwing a stick at 

him from a distance till he is killed. 

Cock-and-Mwile. s. A jail. 
Colley. .9. A blackbird. 

To Collogue, v. n. To associate in order to carry out 
some improper purpose, as thieves. 



1 6 GLOSSARY. 

[Two such rascals collogue together for mischief. 
Eob Roy, p. 319, eel. 1821.] 

Collo'gin. s. (g hard). An association for some im- 
proper purpose. 

(Johnson defines it flattery ; wheedling ; which 
does not convey the correct meaning.) 

Colt-ale. s. (Sometimes called footing or foot-ale) lite- 
rally ale given, or money paid for ale, by a person 
entering on a new employment, to those already 
in it. 

Comforts (comfits.) s. pi. Sugared corianders, cinna- 
mon, &c. 

Comical, adj. Odd ; singular. 
Contraption, s. Contrivance ; management. 

Coop, inter j. Come up ! a word of call to fowls to be 
fed. 

To Cork. v. a. Cawk ; calk ; to set on a horse's shoes 

sharp points of iron to prevent slipping on ice. 
To Count, v. n. To think ; to esteem. 
Cow-baby. s. A coward ; a timid person. 
To Crap. | v. n. to snap ; to break with a sudden 
To Crappy, j sound ; to crack. 
Crap. s. A smart sudden sound. 
Craup. preterite of creep. 
Cre'aped. Crept. 
Creem. s. Sudden shivering. 
Creemy. adj. Affected with sudden shivering. 
Creeplin. part. Creeping. 



GLOSSARY. 1 7 

Crips, adj. Crisp. 

Criss-cross-lain. s. The alphabet ; so called in conse- 
quence of its being formerly preceded in the horn- 
book by a ^ to remind us of the cross of Christ * 
hence the term Christ-Cross-line came at last to 
mean nothing more than the alphabet. 

Crock, s. A bellied pot, of iron or other metal, for 
boiling food. 

Croom. s. A crumb ; a small bit. 

Crowd-string, s. A fiddle-string. 

Crowdy-kit. s. A small fiddle. 

Crow'ner. s. A coroner. 

To be Crowned, v. pass. To have an inquest held over 
a dead body by the coroner. 

Crowst. s. Crust. 

Crow'sty. adj. Crusty, snappish, surly. 

„ , ", . > s > Food : particularly bread and cheese. 

Crubbm. J ' l J 

Cubby-hole. s. A snug, confined place. 

Cuckold s. The plant burdock. 

To Cull. v. n. To take hold round the neck with the 

arms. 
Cute. adj. [Acute] sharp ; clever. 
Cutty, adj. Small ; diminutive. 

^ Ut y« ys. A wren. 

Cutty-wren. 



1 8 GLOSSARY. 

D. 

Da\ s. Day. 

Dayze. Days. 

Dade. Dead. 

Dad'dick. s. Rotten wood. 

Dad'dicky. acli. Kotten, like daddick. 

Dame. $. This word is originally French, and means 
in that language, lady ; but in this dialect it 
means a mistress ; an old woman ; and never a 
lady; nor is it applied to persons in the upper 
ranks of society, nor to the very lowest ; when we 
say dame Hurman, or dame Bennet, we mean the 
wife of some farmer ; a school-mistress is also 
sometimes called dame (dame-schools). 

Dang, interj. Generally followed by pronoun, as dang 
it ; dang em ; od dang it : [an imprecation, a cor- 
ruption of God dang it (God hang it) or more 
likely corruption of damn]. 

Dap, v. n. To hop ; to rebound. 

Dap. s. A hop ; a turn. To know the da%)s of a person 
is, to know his disposition, his habits, his pe- 
culiarities. 

Dap'ster. s. A proficient. 

To Daver. v, n. To fade ; to fall down ; to droop. 

Davison, s. A species of wild plum, superior to the 
bullin. 

Daw'zin. s. The passing over land with a bent hazel 
rod, held in a certain direction, to discover whether 



GLOSSARY. 19 

veins of metal or springs are below, is called 
Daivzin, which is still practised in the mining 
districts of Somersetshire. There is an impres- 
sion among the vulgar, that certain persons only 
have the gift of the divining rod, as it has been 
sometimes called ; by the French, Baguette 
Devinatoire. 

Ray, in his Catalogus Plantarum Anglice, &c, 
Art. Corylus, speaks of the divining rod : " Vulgus 
metallicorum ad virgulam divinum, ut vocant, qua 
venas metallorum inquirit prse ceteris furcam 
eligit colurnam." More may be seen in John 
Bauhin. 

Des'perd. adj. [Corrupted from desperate.] Very, 
extremely ; used in a good as well as a bad sense : 
desperd good ; desperd bad,. 

Dewberry, s. A species of blackberry. 

Dibs. s. pi. Money. 

Did'dlecome. adj. Half-macl ; sorely vexed. 

Dig'ence. s. [g hard,, diggimce, Dickens] a vulgar 
word for the Devil. 

Dird. Si Thread. 

Dirsh, s. A thrush. 

Dirten. adj. Made of dirt. 

Dock. s. A crupper. 

Doe. part. Done. 

To Doff. v. a. To put off. 

To Don. v. a. To put on. 

Donnins. s. pL Dress ; clothes. 



20 GLOSSARY. 

Dough-fig. s. A fig; so called, most probably, from 
its feeling like dough. Junius lias dotefig : I 
know not where he found it. See Fig. 

To Dout. v. a. To extinguish ; to put out. 

To Downarg. v. a. [To argue one down]; to contradict; 

to contend with. 
Dowst. s. Dust ; money ; Down wi' tha dowst / Put 

down the money ! 
Dowsty. adj. Dusty. 

[Dr used for thr in many words :] as droo for through. 
Draf fit. s. [I suppose from draught-vat.] A vessel to 

hold pot-liquor and other refuse from the kitchen 

for pigs. 
Drang, s. A narrow path. 
To Drash. v. a. To thresh. 
Dras'hel. s. The threshold ; a flail. 
Dras'her. s. A thresher. 
Drauve. s. A drove, or road to fields. 
Drawt. s. Throat. 

To Drean. v. n. To drawl in reading or speaking. 
Drean. s. A drawling in reading or speaking. 
Dreaten. v. Threaten. 
Dree. a. Three. 
To Dring. v. n. To throng ; to press, as in a crowd ; 

to thrust. 
Dring'et. s. A crowd ; a throng. 
To Droa. v. a. To throw. 
Droa. Throw. 



GLOSSARY. 21 

Drooate. Throat. 

Drob. v. Rob. 

Drode (throw d). part. Threw, thrown. 

Droo. prep. Through. 

To drool, v. n. To drivel, 

To Drow. | V v n a 1 To dry. 

The hay do'nt drowy at all. See the obser- 
vations which precede this vocabulary. 

Drowth, s. Dryness ; thirst. 
Drow'thy. adj. Dry • thirsty. 

Drove, s. A road leading to fields, and sometimes from 
one village to another. Derived from its being 
a way along which cattle are driven. Ray uses 
the word in his Catalogus Plantarum Aiiglice, 
&c. } Art. Chondrilla. 

To Drub. { V ' " 1 To throb ; to beat. 
\v. a f 

Drubbin. s. A beatiDg. 

To Druck. v. a. To thrust down; to cram; to press. 

Dub, Dub'bed, Dub^y. adj. Blunt; not pointed ; 

squat. 

Dublin, s. Suet. 

Duck-an-Mallard. s. (Duck and Drake) a play of 
throwing slates or flat stones horizontally along 
the water so as to skim the surface and rise several 
times before they sink. "Hen pen, Duck-an- 
Mallard, Amen." 



22 GLOSSARY. 

To Dud'der. v. a. To deafen with noise ; to render the 
head confused. 

Duds. s. pi. Dirty cloaths. 

Duin'bledore. s. A humble-bee ; a stupid fellow. 

Dunch, (Dunce ?). adj. Deaf. 

As a deaf person is very often, apparently 
at least, stupid ; a stupid, intractable person is, 
therefore, called a Dunce : one who is deaf and 
intractable. What now becomes of Duns Scotus, 
and all the rest of the recondite observations be- 
stowed upon Dunce ? — See Grose. 

I have no doubt that Dunch is Anglo-Saxon, 
although I cannot find it in any of our old dic- 
tionaries, except Bailey's. But it ought not to be 
forgotten, that many words are floating about 
which are being arrested by our etymologists in 
the present advancing age of investigation. 

Durns. s. pi. A door-frame. 

Dwon't. ) m , A . 

tv > v. (Don t) do not. 

Dwon. J 

E. 

Eake. adv. Also. 
Ear-wrig. s. Earwig. 

This word ought to be spelled Darivrig, as it 
is derived, doubtless, from wriggle. See Wriggle. 
Eese. adv. Yes. 
Eet. adv. Yet. 



GLOSSARY. 23 

Ernien. adj. Of or belonging to elm ; made of elm. 

Elver, s. A young eel. 

Eni'mers. s. pi. Embers. 

Emmet-bat cli. s. An ant-hill. 

To Enipt. v. a. To empty. 

En. pron. Him: aziden] he saw Mm. 

Er. pron. He. [Used West of the Parret.] 

Eth. s. Earth. 

To Eve. v. n. To become damp ; to absorb moisture 
from the air. 

Evet. s. A lizard. 
Ex. s. An axle. 



Fags ! interj. Truly; indeed. 
Fayer. s. and adj. Fair. 

To Fell. v. a. To sew in a particular manner; to 
inseam. 

This word is well known to the ladies, I 
believe, all over the kingdom ; it ought to be in 
our dictionaries. 

Fes'ter. s. An inflammatory tumour. 

Few. | adj. More commonly pronounced veo. Little ; 

Veo. f as dufew broth. 

Fig. s. A raisin. 



\s. A feint ; a pretence. 



24 GLOSSARY. 

Figged-puclding. 5. a pudding with raisins in it ; 

plum-pudding. 
Fildefare. s. A Fieldfare. " Farewell fieldefare." 

Chaucer. Meaning that, as fieldfares disappear 

at a particular season, the season is over, the bird 

is flown. 

Fil'try. s. Filth ; nastiness ; rubbish. 

Firnd. v. To find. 

Firnd. s. Friend. 

Fitch. 1 

-p-j. i i. Vs. A pole-cat. As cross as ajitchet. 

Fit'ten. 
Vit'ten. 

Flap-jack. s. A fried cake made of batter, apples, &c. ; 

a fritter. 
To Flick, v. a. To pull out suddenly with some 

pointed instrument. 
Flick-tooth-comb. s. A comb with coarse teeth for 

combing the hair. 
Flick, s. The membrane loaded with fat, in the bellies 

of animals : a term used by butchers. 
Flook. s. An animal found in the liver of sheep, 

similar in shape to a flook or flounder. 
Flush, adj. Fledged ; able to fly : (applied to young- 
birds. ) 
Fooase. s. Force. See Vooase. 
To Fooase. v. a. To force. 
Foo'ter. s. [Fr. /outre] A scurvy fellow ; a term of 

contempt. 



GLOSSARY. 25 

Foo'ty. adj. Insignificant ; paltry ; of no account. 
For'rel. s. tlie cover of a book. 

Forweend'. adj. Humoursome \ difficult to please : 
(applied to children). 

Fout. preterite, of to fight. 

French-nut. s. A walnut. 

To Frump, v. a. To trump up. 

To Frunt. v. a. To affront. 

To Fur. v. a. To throw. 

Fur'cuin. s. The bottom : the whole. 

Fur nis. s. A large vessel or boiler, used for brewing, 
and other purposes ; fixed with bricks and mortar, 
and surrounded with flues, for the circulation of 
heat, and exit of smoke. 

G. 

Gaerx. s. A garden. 

Gale. s. An old bull castrated. 

Gallibagger. s. [From golly and beggar] A bug-bear. 

Gallise. s. The gallows. 

Gallid. adj. Frightened. 

To Gaily, v. a. To frighten. 

Gallanting. )part. Wandering about in gaiety and 

Galligantlng. J enjoyment : applied chiefly to associa- 
tions of the sexes. 

Gan/bril. s. A crooked piece of wood used by butchers 
to spread, and by which to suspend the carcase. 



26 GLOSSARY. 

Gan'ny-cock. s. A turkey-cock. 

Ganny-eock's Snob. s. The long membranous ap- 
pendage at the beak, by which the cock-turkey is 
distinguished. 

Gare. s. The iron work for wheels, waggons, &c, is 
called ire-gare ; accoutrements. 

Gate-shord. s. A gate-way ; a place for a gate. 

Gaffer, s. An old man. 

Gaw'cum. s. A simpleton ; a gawkey. 

Gawl-cup. s. Gold cup. 

To Gee. v. n. [g soft] To agree ; to go on well 
together. 

To Gee. v. n. [g hard ; part, and past tense, gid.~\ 
To give. Gee often includes the pronoun, thus, 
" I'll gee " means I'll give you ; the gee, and ye 
for you, combining into gee. 

To G'auf. v. n. To go off. 

To G'auver. v. n. To go over. 

To G'in. v. n. To go in. 

To G'on. v. n. To go on. 

To G'out. v. n. To go out. 

To G'under. v. n. To go under, 

To G'up. v. n. To go up. 

Gib'bol. s. [g soft] The sprout of an onion of the 

second year. 
Gid. pret. v. Gave. 
Gifts, s. pi. The white spots frequently seen on the 

finger nails. 



GLOSSARY. 27 

Gigletin. adj. Wanton ; trifling ; applied to the 
female sex. 

GiFawfer. s. A term applied to all the kinds of flowers 
termed stocks ; and also to a few others : as a 
Whitsuntide gilawfer, a species of Lychnidea. 

Gim'inace. s. A hinge. 

Gim'maces. s. pi. "When a criminal is gibbeted, or 
hung in irons or chains, he is said to be hung in 
Gimmaces, most probably because the apparatus 
swings about as if on hinges. 

Ginnin. s. Beginning. 

Girnin. part. Grinning. 

Girt. adj. Great. 

Girdl. Contracted from great deal ; as, gird'l o' work ; 

great deal of work. 
To Glare, v. a. To glaze earthenware. 
Glare, s. The glaze of earthenware. 

G'lore. adv. In plenty. 

This word, without the apostrophe, Glore, is to 
be found in Todd's Johnson, and there defined/^. 
The true meaning is, I doubt not, as above ; fat 
g'lore, is fat in plenty. 

Gold. s. The shrub called sweet-willow or wild myrtle; 
Myrica gale. 

This plant grows only in peat soils ; it is abun- 
dant in the boggy moors of Somersetshire ; it has 
a powerful and fragrant smell. 

Gold-cup. s. A species of crow-foot, or ranunculus, 



28 GLOSSARY. 

growing plentifully in pastures ; ranunculus 

pratensis. 
To Goo. v.n. [Gwain, going ; gwon, gone.] To go. 
Gookoo. s. Cookoo. 
Goo'ner. inter j. Goodnow ! 
Good'-Hussey. s. A thread-case. 
Goose- cap. s. A silly person. 

Graint'ed. adj. Fixed in the grain ; difficult to be re- 
moved ; dirty. 
GramTer. s. Grandfather. 
Gram'iner. 5. Grandmother. 
To Gree. v. n. To agree. 

Gribble. s. A young apple-tree raised from seed. 
To Gripe, v. a. To cut into gripes. See Gripe. 
Gripe, s. [from Dutch, groep.] A small drain, or ditch, 

about a foot deep, and six or eight inches wide. 
In English Dictionaries spelled grip. 
Griping-line. s. A line to direct the spade in cutting 

gripes. 
Groan'in. s. Parturition ; the time at which a woman 

is in labour. 
Ground, s. A field. 
Gro'zens. s.pl. The green minute round-leaved plants 

growing upon the surface of water in ditches ; 

duck' s-m eat ; the Lens palustris of Kay. 
Gruff, s. A mine. 
Gruffer. Gruf'fier. s. A miner. 
To Gud'dle. v. n. To drink much and greedily. 



GLOSSARY. 29 

Gud'dler. s. A greedy drinker; one who is fond of 
liquor. 

To Gulch, v. n. To swallow greedily. 

Gulch, s. A sudden swallowing. 

Gump'tion. s. Contrivance ; common sense. 

Gum'py. adj. Abounding in protuberances. 

Gurds. s. pi. Eructations. [By Fits and gurds.] 

Guss. s. A girth. 

To Guss. v. a. To girth. 

Gwain. part. Going. 

Gwon. part. Gone. 



H. 



Hack. s. The place whereon bricks newly made are 
arranged to dry. 

To Hain. v. a. To exclude cattle from a field in order 
that the grass may grow, so that it may be 
mowed. 

Hallantide. s. All Saints' day. 

Ham. s. A pasture generally rich, and also unshel- 
tered, applied only to level land. 

Hame. sing. ) s. Two moveable pieces of wood or 

Haines, pi. J iron fastened upon the collar, with 
suitable appendages for attaching a horse to the 
shafts. Called sometimes a pair of hames. 

Han'dy. adv. Near, adjoining. 



30 GLOSSARY. 

Hang-gallise. adj. Deserving the gallows, felonious, 
vile ; as, a hang-gallise J ellow. 

Hange. s. The heart, liver, lungs, &c, of a pig, calf, 
or sheep. 

Hangldcher. s. Handkerchief. 

Hangles. s.pl. A pair ofhangles is the iron crook, &c, 
composed of teeth, and hung over the fire, to be 
moved up and down at pleasure for the purpose of 
cookery, &c. 

To Happer. v.n. To crackle ; to make repeated smart 
noises. 

To Haps. v. a. To Hasp. 

Haps. s. A hasp. 

Hard. adj. Full grown. Hard people, adults. 

Harm. s. Any contagious or epidemic disease not 
distinguished by a specific name. 

Har'ras. s. Harvest. 
Hart, s A haft ; a handle. 

Applied to such instruments as knives, awls, etc. 

Hathe. 5. To be in a hathe, is to be set thick and close 
like the pustules of the small-pox or other erup- 
tive disease ; to be matted closely together. 

To Have. v. n. To behave. 

Haw. See ho. 

Hay-maidens, s. pi. Ground ivy. 

Hay^y-tay^y. ] interj. What's here ! 
Highty-tity. / s. [height and tite, weight]. 



GLOSSARY. 31 

A board or pole, balanced in the middle on 
some prop, so that two persons, one sitting at each 
end, may move up and down in turn by striking 
the ground with the feet. Sometimes called 
Tayty [See-saw]. 

In Hay'digees. [g soft] adv. To be in high spirits ; to 
be frolicsome. . 

Heat s. Pronounced He-at, dissyllable, heat. 
Hea'ram-skearam. adj. Wild; romantic. 

To Heel, v. a. To hide ; to cover. Chaucer, " hele" 
Hence, no doubt, the origin of to heal, to cure, as 
applied to wounds ; to cover over. 

Heeler, s. One who hides or covers. Hence the very 
common expression, The healer is as bad as the 
stealer; that is, the receiver is as bad as the thief. 

Heft. s. Weight. 

To Hell. v. a. To pour. 

Hellier. s. A person who lays on the tiles of a roof; a 
tiler. A Devonshire word. 

Helm. s. Wheat straw prepared for thatching. 

To Hen. v. a. To throw. 

To Hent. v. n. To wither ; to become slightly dry. 

Herd s. A keeper of cattle. 

Hereawa. ) 7 tt i 4. 
y adv. Hereabout. 
Hereaway, j 

Herence. adv. From this place ; hence. 

Hereright. adv. Directly ; in this place. 

Het. pron. It. Ret o'nt, it will not. 



32 GLOSSARY. 

To Het. v. a. To hit, to strike ; part, het and hut. 
To Hick. v.n. To hop on one leg. 

Hick. s. A hop on one leg. 

Hick-step and jump. Hop-step and jump. A 
well known exercise. 

To Hike of. v. n. To go away ; to go off. Used gene- 
rally in a bad sense. 

Hine. adj. (Hind) Posterior; relating to the back 
part. Used only in composition, as, a hine 
quarter. 

To Hire tell. v. n. To hear tell ; to learn by report ; 
to be told. 

Hip'pety-hoppety. adv. In a limping and hobbling 
manner. 

Hirches. s. riches. 

Hir'd. v. [i long] heard. 

To Hirn. v. n. [himd, pret. and part.] To run. 

To Hitch, v. n. To become entangled or hooked to- 
gether ; to hitch up, to hang up or be suspended. 
See the next word. 

To Hitch up. v. a. To suspend or attach slightly 7 or 
temporarily. 

The following will exemplify the active mean- 
ing of this verb : 

Sir Strut, for so the witling throng 
Oft called him when at school, 

And hitch'cl him up in many a song 
To sport and ridicule. 



GLOSSARY. 33 

Hiz'en. Used for his wiien not followed by a siibstan- 
tive, as 3 wliose house is that 1 Hizea. [His own]. 

Hi'zy Pi zy. A corruption of Nisi Prius. a well known 

law assize. 
To Ho for, ") v. a- To provide for ; to take care of ', 
To Haw vor, j to desire ; to wish. for. 

Hob 'biers, s. pi, Men employed in towing vessels by 

a rope on the land. 

Hod. s. A sheath or covering ; perhaps from hood. 

Hog. «?• A sheep one year old. 

To Hoke. v. a. To wound with horns ; to gore. 

Hocl nieclod. adj. Short • squat. 

Hollar, adj. Hollow. 

To Hollar, v. a. To halloo. 

Hollar, s. A halloo. 

Hollardy. s. A holiday. 

Hollardy-day. s. Holy-rood day ; the third of May, 

Hollabeloo'. s. A noise ; confusion ; riot. 

Holnien. adj. Made of holm. 

Holt, interj. Hold ; stop. Holt-a-bloic, give over 
fighting 

Ho miescreech. s. A bird which builds chiefly in apple- 
trees ; I believe it is the Turdus viscivorus, or 
missel. 

Hon. s. hand. 

Honey-suck, 

Honey-suckle, 

Honey-suckle, s. Red Clover. 



s. The wodbine, 



34 GLOSSARY. 

Hoo'say. See Whosay. 

Hoop. s. A bullfinch. 

Hor'nen. adj. Made of horn. 

Hornen-book. s. Hornbook. 

Horse- stinger, s The dragon-fly. 

Hoss. s. horse. 

Hoss-plas s. pi. Horse-plays ; rough sports. 

Houzen. s. pi. Houses. 

Howsoniiver. adv. However ; howsoever. 

Huck'muck. s. A strainer placed before the faucet in 

the mashing- tub. 
Hud. s. A hull, or husk. 
Huf. s A hoof. 

Huf-cap s. A plant, or rather weed, found in fields, 
and with difficulty eradicated. 

I regret that I cannot identify this plant with 
any known botanical name. 

Graced with huff-cap terms and thundering threats, 
That his poor hearers' hair quite upright sets. 

Bp. Hall, Book I, Sat. iii. 

Some editor of Hall has endeavoured to explain 
the term huff-cap by blustering, swaggering . I 
think it simply means difficult. 

Hug. s. The itch. See Shab (applied to brutes.) 
Hug-water, s. "Water to cure the hug. See Shab. 
To Hul'der. v. a. To hide ; conceal. 
HuTly. s. A peculiarly shaped long wicker trap used 
for catchino- eels. 



GLOSSARY. 35 

To Hulve. v. a. To turn over ; to turn upside down. 

Hum'dmm. s. A small low three- wheeled cart, drawn 
usually by one horse: used occasionally in agri- 
culture. 

From the peculiarity of its construction, it 
makes a kind of humming noise when it is drawn 
along; hence, the origin of the adjective humdrum. 

Hunt-the-slipper, s. A well-known play. 



I. ad. Yes ; I, 2, yes, yes ; most probably a corrupt 

pronunciation of ay. 
Inin. s. Onion, 
Ire. s. Iron. 
Ire-gare. s. See Gare. 

Ise. pron. I. See Utchy, [West of the Parret], 
1st. [i long], s. East. 
Istard. [i long], adv. Eastward. 
It. adv. Yet, [pronouced both it and eei]. see N'eet. 



Jack-in-the-Lanthorn ) __ „ . 

_, f s. Ine meteor usually called a 

I ' tl W 1 ( ^^ w ^ ^ ie ^ S P- 

Ignis Fatuus. — Arising from ignition of 
phosphorus from rotten leaves and decayed 
vegetable matters. 
Jaunders. s. The jaundice. 



36 



GLOSSARY. 



> adj. Such. 



To Jee. v. n. To go on well together ; see To Gee. 

Jiffey. s. A short time : an instant. 

Jist. adv. Just. 

Jitch. 

Jitchy. 

Jod. 6\ The letter J. 

Jorum, s. A large jug, bowl, &c, full of something to 

be eaten or drank. 
To Jot. v. a. To disturb in writing ; to strike the 

elbow. 

K. 

The sound K is often displaced by substituting qu, as 

for coat, corn, corner, cost ; quoat or [quilt) quoin, 

quiner, quost. 
Keck'er. s. The windpipe ; the trachea. 
Keep. s. A basket, applied only to large baskets. 
To Keeve. v. a. To put the wort in a keeve for some 

time to ferment. 
Keeve. s. A large tub or vessel used in brewing. A 

mashing-tub is sometimes called a keeve. 
Kef fel. s. A bad and worn out horse. 
To Kern. v. n. To turn from blossom to fruit : the, 

process of turning from blossom to fruit is called 

kerning. 
Kex. | s. The dry stalks of some plants, such as 
Kexy. J Cows-parsley and Hemlock, are called Kexies. 

As dry as a hex?j is a common simile. 



GLOSSARY. 37 

Kill. s. A Kiln. 

Kirter. s. Money. 

King'bow, or rather, a-kingbow. adv. Kirobo. 

Chaucer has this word kenebow, which is, 

perhaps, the true one — a kenebow, implying a 

bow with a keen or sharp angle. 

"He set his arms in Jceneboio" 

Chaucer, Second Merchant's Tale. 

Or place the arms a-Kingboiv, may be to place 

them in a consequential manner of commanding, 

like a king. 
Kir'cher. 5. The midriff; the diaphragm. 
Kirsmas. s. Christmas. 
Kirsen. v. a. To Christen. 

[These two words are instances of the change 

of place of certain letters, particularly r.~\ 
Kit. s. A tribe ; a collection ; a gang. 

tt-,,! ' -, > s. A smock frock. 
Kittle-smock. ( 

Knack-kneed, adj. In-kneed ; having the knees so 
grown that they strike [&/zoc&] against each other. 

Knot'tlins. s. pi The intestines of a pig or calf pre- 
pared for food by being tied in knots and after- 
wards boiled. 



Lade-pail. s. A small pail, with a long handle, used 
for the purpose of filling other vessels. 



38 GLOSSARY. 

Ladeshrid.es. s. pi. The sides of the waggon which 
project over the wheels. See Shrlde. 

Ladies-smock, s. A species of bindweed \ Convolvulus 
sepium. See Withy-wine. 

Lady Buddick. s. A rich and early ripe apple. 

Lady-cow. s. A lady-bird ; the insect Coccinella Sep- 

tempunctata. 
Lady's-hole. s. A game at cards. 
Lai'ter. s. The thing laid ; the whole quantity of eggs 

which a hen lays successively. 
She has laid out her latter. 
Lamager. adj. Lame ; crippled \ laid up. 
Larks-leers, s. pi. Arable land not in use ; such is 

much frequented by larks ; any land which is 

poor and bare of grass. 
Lart. ) s. The floor : never applied to a stone floor, 
Lawt. J but only to wooden floors ; and those up stairs. 

Las-charg'eable ! interj. Be quiet ! The last chargeable : 

that is, he who last strikes or speaks in contention 

is most blamable. 
Lat. s. A lath. 

Latitat, s. A noise ; a scolding. 
Lat 'tin, s. Iron plates covered with tin. 
Lattin. adj. Made of lattin ; as a lattin saucepan, a 

lattin teakettle, &c. 
Laugh-and-lie-down. s. A common game at cards. 
To Lave. v. a. To throw water from one place to 

another. 



GLOSSARY. 39 

To Le'at. v. n. To leak. 

Le at. s. A leak ; a place where water is occasionally 

let out. 
Leath'er. v. a. To beat. 
Leathern -mouse, s. A bat. 
Leer. adj. Empty. 
Leer. & The flank. 
Leers, s. pi. Leas ■ rarely used : but I think it always 

means stubble land, or land similar to stubble 

land. 
Lent. s. Loan ; the use of any thing borrowed. 
Lew. adj. Sheltered ; defended from storms, or wind 

T ' 1 > s. Shelter ; defence from storm or wind. 

LiVet. 5. A piece ; a tatter. 
Lid'den. s. A story ; a sorig. 

Lie-lip. s. A square wooden vessel having holes in its 

bottom, to contain wood-ashes for making lie. 
Lights, s. pi. The lnngs. 

Lighting-stock, s. A horse-block ; steps of wood or 
stone, made to ascend and descend from a horse. 

x . , [s. pi. The shafts of a waggon, cart, &c. 

Lim mers. J ° & 

Linch. s. A ledge ; a rectangular projection ; whence 

the term linch-pin (a pin with a linch), which 

Johnson has, but not linch. 

The derivations of this word, linch-pin by our 

etymologists, it will be seen, are now inadmissable. 



40 GLOSSARY. 

To Line. v. n. To lean ; to incline towards or against 

something. 
Lin'ny. s. An open shed, attached to barns, outhouses, 

&c. 
Lip. | s. A generic term for several containing 

Lip'pen. J vessels, as bee-lippen, lie-lip, seed- lip, <&c, 

which see. 

Lip'ary. adj. Wet, rainy. Applied to the seasons : 
a lipary time. 

To Lir'rop. v. a. To beat. 

This is said to be a corruption of the sea term, 
lee-rope. 

Lis'soin. adj. Lithe ; pliant. Contracted from light- 
some, or lithe-some. 

j . , '. > s. The strip or border on woollen cloth. 

Lis'tin. adj. Made of list. 

To Lob. v. n. To hang down ; to droop. 

Lock. s. A small quantity ; as a lock of hay, a loch 

of straw. 
Lock-a-Daisy. inter j. of surprise or of pleasure. 
Lockyzee. inter j. Look, behold ! Look you, see ! 
To Long. v. n. To belong. 
LongTul. adj. Long in regard to time. 
Lose-Leather. To be galled by riding. 
Lowance. s. Allowance : portion. 
Lug. s. A heavy pole ; a pole ; a long rod. 

I incline to think this is the original of log. 



GLOSS AH Y. 41 

Lug-lain. s. Full measure ; the measure by the lug or 

pole. 
Lump'er. v. n. To lumber ; to move heavily ; to 

stumble. 



M. 



Mace. s. pi. Acorns. 

Madam, s. Applied to the most respectable classes of 

society : as, Madam Greenwood, Madam Saunders, 

&c. 
Mallard, s. A male duck. 

To Manche. ) v. a. To chew. Probably from manger , 
To Munche. J French. 

Manner, s. A corruption of the word, manner, used 

only in the sense of sort or kind: as, all mander 

o' things ; all sorts of things. 
To Mang. v. a. To mix. 
Mang-hangle. adj. Mixed in a wild and confused 

manner. 
To maw. v. a. To mow. 
Maw'kin. s. A cloth, usually wetted and attached to 

a pole, to sweep clean a baker's oven. See Slo- 

MAKING. 

May. s. The blossom of the white thorn. 
May-be. ) 

M A h 1 aC ^ V ' -P erna P s i ft ma 7 ^e. 

May-fool. s. Same as April fool. 



42 GLOSSARY 



> s. A frolic ; a whim. 



[ v. a. To serve cattle with hay. 



May-game. 

Ma-game. 

To Meech. v. n. To play truant ; to absent from school 
without leave. 

Meech'er. s. A truant. 

To Mell. v. a. To meddle : to touch. Til neither mell 
nor make : that is, I will have nothing to do with 
it. / ont mell o't, I will not touch it. 
"Of eche mattir thei wollin mell." 

Chaucer's Plowman's Tale. 

Mesh. s. Moss ; a species of lichen which grows plen- 
tifully on apple trees. 

To Mess. 

To Messy. 

Messin. s. The act of serving cattle with hay. 

Mid. v. aux. Might, may. 

To Miff. v. a. To give a slight offence ; to displease. 

Miff. s. A slight offence ; displeasure. 

Mig. s. As siveet as mig is a common simile ; I suspect 

that mig means mead, the liquor made from honey. 
Milt. s. The spleen. 
Milemas. Michaelmas. 
Min. A low word, implying contempt, addressed to 

the person to whom we speak, instead of Sir. I'll 

do it, min. 
Mine. v. Mind; remember. 
Mix'en s. A dunghill. 
Miz'maze. s. Confusion. 



GLOSSARY. 43 

Moin'inacks. s. pi. Pieces ; fragments. 

Mom'met. ) s. A scarecrow ; something dressed up 

Mom/niick. J in clothes to personate a human being. 

Moor-coot. s. A moor hen. 

To Moot. v. a. To root up. 

Moot. s. A stump, or root of a tree. 

To More. v. n. To root ; to become fixed by rooting. 

More. s. A root. 

Mought. v. aux. Might. 

Mouse-snap. s. A mouse trap. 

Mug'gets. s. pi. The intestines of a calf or sheep. 

Derived, most probably, from maw and guts. 
To Mult. v. To melt. 
Mus 5 goo. must go. 
'Mus'd. Amused. 

N. 

Many words beginning with a rowel, following the ar- 
ticle an, take the n from an ; as, an inch, pro- 
nounced a ninch. 

Na'atal. adj. natural. 

Na'atally. adv. naturally. 

ISTaise. s. noise. 

Nan. interjec. Used in reply, in conversation or ad- 
dress, the same as Sir, when you do not understand. 

Nant. s. Aunt. 

Nap. s. A small rising ; a hillock. 



44 GLOSSARY. 

Nation, adv. Very, extremely : as nation good ; nation 
bad. 

Nawl. s. An awl. 
Nawl. s. The navel. 

Nawl-cut. s. A piece cut out at the navel : a term used 
by butchers. 

N'eet. N 

N/ . t ' | adv. Not yet. 

Nestle Tripe, s. The weakest and poorest bird in the 
nest ; applied, also, to the last-born, and usually 
the weakest child of a family ; any young, weak, 
and puny child, or bird 

New-qut-and-jerkin. s. A game at cards in a more 

refined dialect new-coat and jerkin. 

Nif. conj. If. 

Nill. s. A needle. 

Nist. ) AT . , 

\prep. JNigh, near. 

Niver-tha-near. adv. (Never-the-near), To no pur- 
pose, uselessly. 

Nonaction, adj. Difficult to be understood ; not intel- 
ligent ; incoherent, wild. 

Nor 'ad. adv. Northward. 

Nora'tion. s. Rumour; clamour. 

Nor'ra un. ) ^ T 

__ y Never a one. 

Nor ry un. J 

Norn. pron. Neither. Norn o'm, neither of them. 

Nor'thering. adj.- Wild, incoherent, foolish. 



GLOSSARY. 45 

Nort. s. Nothing. West of the Parret. 
Not-sheep. s. A sheep without horns, 

Not. s. The place where flowers are planted is usually 
called the flower not, or rather, perhaps, knot ■ a 
flower bed. 

Not'taniy. s. Corrupted from anatomy : it means very 
often the state of body, mere shin and bone. 

Nottlins. s. pi. See Knottlixs. 

Nurnmiet. s. A short meal between breakfast and din- 
ner ; nunchion, luncheon. 

Nuncle. s. An uncle. 

To Nuncle. v. a. To cheat, 

Nuth'er. adv. Neither, 

0. 

0'. prep, for of. 

Obstrop'ilous. adj. Obstinate, resisting [obstreperous.] 

Odments. s. pi. Odd things, offals. 

Office, s. The eaves of a house. 

Olcl-qut-and-jerkm. s. A game at cards; in a more re- 
fined dialect, old-coat-and-jerkin ; called also five 
cards. 

To Onlight. v. n. To alight ; to get off a horse. 

O'ant (for w'on't). "Will not. This expression is used 
in almost all the persons, as / out, he ont, we tint, 
they, or thd ont ; I will not, he will not, etc. 



46 GLOSSAKY. 

Ont. ) Of it. I a done ont ; I a done o't : I have done 
O't. J of it. 
Ool. v. aux. Will. 

Ope. s. An opening — the distance between bodies ar- 
ranged in order. 
Or'chit. s. An orchard. 
Ornd. pret. Ordained, fated. 
Orn. pron. Either. Orn o'm, either of them. 

Or'ra one. ) t 

^ , V Any one ; ever a one. 

Or ry one. J J ) 

Ort. s. Any thing. [West of the Parret.] 

Ort. s. Art. 

Oten. adv. Often. 

Ourn. pron. Ours. 

To Overget. v. a. To overtake. 

To Overlook, v. a. To bewitch. 

Overlookt. part. Bewitched. 

°. ," , [ adv. Opposite : fronting. 
Auver-nght. J Li 

Overs, s. pi. The perpendicular edge, usually covered 

with grass, on the sides of salt-water rivers is 

called overs. 



PACK-an-Penny-Day. s. The last clay of a fair when 
bargains are usually sold. [Pack, and sell for 
pennies.] 

Parnt. adj. Perfect. 



GLOSSARY. 47 

Parfitly. adv. Perfectly. 

To Parget, v. a. To plaster the inside of a chimney 

with mortar of cowdung and lime. 
Par rick. s. A paddock. 

To Payze. v. a. To force, or raise up, with a lever. 
To Peach, v. a. To inform against ; to impeach. 
Peel. s. A pillow, or bolster. 
To Peer. v. n. To appear. 
Pen'nin. s. The enclosed place where oxen and other 

animals are fed and watered ; any temporary place 

erected to contain cattle. 

Pick. s. A pitch-fork : a two pronged fork for making 
hay. 

Pigs-Hales, s. pi. Haws ; the seed of the white thorn. 

Pigs-looze. s. A pigsty. 

Pilch. 



s. A baby's woollen clout. 

Pill-coal. v. A kind of peat, dug most commonly out of 

rivers : peat obtained at a great depth, beneath a 

stratum of clay. 
Piller. s. a pillow. 
Pilm. 5. Dust ; or rather fine dust, which readily floats 

in air. 
Pink. s. A chaffinch. 
Pip. s. A seed; applied to those seeds which have the 

shape of apple, cucumber seed, &c. ; never to round, 

or minute seeds. 



48 GLOSSARY. 

To Pitch, v. a. To lay unhewn and unshaped stones 
together, so as to make a road or way. 

To Pitch, in the West of England, is not syno- 
nymous with to pave. To pave, means to lay flat, 
square, and hewn stones or bricks down, for a floor 
or other pavement or footway. A paved way is 
always smooth and even ; a pitched way always 
rough and irregular. Hence the distinguishing 
terms of Pitching and Paving. 

Pit'is. adj. Piteous ; exciting compassion. 

Pinhole, s. The grave. 

To Pix. ") v. a. To pick up apples after the main crop 

To Pixy, j is taken in ; to glean, applied to an orchard 
only. 

Pix'y. s. A sort of fairy ; an imaginary being. 

Pix'y-led. part. Led astray by pixies. 

Plad. v. Played. 

Pla'zen. s. pi. Places. 

To Plim. v. n. To swell ; to increase in bulk. 

Plough, s. The cattle or horses used for ploughing; 
also a waggon and horses or oxen. 

Pock'fredden. adj. Marked in the face with small pox. 

To Pog. v. n. and v. a. To thrust with the fist ; to push. 

Po°\ s. A thrust with the fist ; a push ; an obtuse blow. 

Pollyantice. s. Polyanthus. 

To Pom'ster. v. n. To tamper with, particularly in cu- 
ring diseases ; to quack. 



GLOSSARY. 4- ; 

Pont'ed. part. Bruised with indentation. 

Any person whose skin or body is puffed up by 

disease, and subject to occasional pitting by pres- 
sure, is said to he pouted \ but the primary mean- 
ing is applied to fruit, as. &ponted apple ; in both 
meanings incipient decay is implied. 

Pook. s. The belly; the stomach; a veil 

Popple, s. A pebble : that is. a stone worn smooth, 

and more or less round, by the action of the waves 

of the sea. 

Pottle-bellied, adj. Potbellied. 

To Pooat. ) v. a. To push through any confined open- 
To Pote. J ing, or hole. 

Pooat-hole. ] I :>ugh which anything 

Pote-hole. J is pushed with a stick ; a confined place. 
Pooaty. adj. Confined, close, crammed. 
Port 'mantle, s. A portmanteau. 
Poti'cary. s. An try. 

To Poun. v. To pound [to put into the pound, to 

" lock up"]. 
A Power of rain. A great deal of r 
Pruv'd. v. Proved. 
To pray. v. a. To drive all the cattle into one herd in 

a moor ; to pray the moor, to search for lost cattle. 

Prankin. s. Pranks. 

Pud. s. The the fist. 

Pulk I 

_ ,_ ' A small --place, c ; water. 

rl\ J 



50 GLOSSARY. 

Pull-reed. s. [Pool reed.] A long reed growing in 
ditches and pools, used for ceiling instead of laths. 

Pul try. . Poultry. 

Pum'ple. adj. Applied only, as far as I know, in the 
compound word pumple-voot, a club-foot. 

Put. s. A two-wheeled cart used in husbandry, and so 
constructed as to be turned up at the axle to dis- 
charge the load. 

Pux'ie. s. A place on which you cannot tread without 
danger of sinking into it ; applied most commonly 
to places in roads or fields where springs break 
out. 

Pwint. s. Point. 

P wine-end. ") The sharp-pointed end of a house, v/iere 

Pwinin-end. j the wall rises perpendicularly fro.11 the 

foundation. 
Py'e s. A wooden guide, or rail to hold by, in pass- 
ing over a narrow wooden bridge. 

Q. 

Qu is in many words used instead of K. 
Quare. adj. Queer ; odd. 
Quarrel, s. [Quarre, French.] A square of window 

glass. 
To Quar. v. a. To raise stones from a quarry. 
Quar-man. s. A man who works in a quarry [#war]. 
Quine. s. Coin, money. A corner. 
To Quine. v. a. To coin. 
Quoin. Coin. 



GLOSSARY. 5 1 



Quoit. Coit. 

Qut (Quut). s. Coat. 



R. 



R in many words is wholly omitted, as, Arth. Cocise, 

Guth, Heath, Pason, Voocith, Wuss, &c, for Earth, 

Coarse, Girth, Hearth, Parson, Forth, Worse. 

To Rake up. v. a. To cover ■ to bury. To rake the 
vier. To cover up the fire with ashes, that it may 
remain burning all night. 

Rames. s. pi. The dead stalks of potatoes, cucumbers, 
and such plants ; a skeleton. 

Rams-claws, s. pi. The plant called gold cups ; ranun- 
culus pratensis. 

Ramshackle, adj. Loose; disjointed. 

Rampin. part. Distracted, obstreperous : r ampin mad, 
outrageously mad. 

Ran'dy. 

Ran'c 

Range, s. A sieve. 

To Rangle. v. n. To twine, or move in an irregular or 
sinuous manner. Rangling plants are plants 
which entwine round other plants, as the wood- 
bine, hops, etc. 

Ran'gle. s. A sinuous winding. 

Ras'ty. adj. Rancid : gross ; obscene. 

Rathe-ripe. adj. Ripening early. [Bath. English 
Dictionary. 
" The rathe-ripe wits prevent their own perfection.'* 

Bp. Hall. 



i'dy. 1 
, , . r s. A merry-making ; riotous living. 



52 GLOSSARY. 

Raught. part. Reached. 
Rawd. part Rode. 
To Rawn. v. a. To devour greedily. 
Raw'ny. adj. Having little flesh : a thin person, 
whose bones are conspicuous, is said to be rawny. 

To Ray. v. a. To dress. 

To Read. v. a. To strip the fat from the intestines ; 

to read the inward. 
Read'ship. s. Confidence, trust, truth. 
To Ream. v. a. To widen ; to open. 
Reamer, s. An instrument used to make a hole larger. 

Recalling, s. The catching of eels with earthworms 
attached to a ball of lead, hung by a string from 
a pole. 

Reed. s. Wheat straw prepared for thatching. 

Reen. ) 

-o, . V s. A water-course; an open dram. 

To Reeve, v. a. To rivel ; to draw into wrinkles. 
Rem'let. s. A remnant. 
Rev'el. s. A wake. 

To Rig. v. n. To climb about ; to get up and down a 
thing in wantonness or sport. 

Hence the substantive rig, as used in John 
Gilpin, by Cowper. 

" He little dreamt of running such a rig" 

To Rig. v. a. To dress. 

Hence, I suspect, the origin of the rigging of a 
vessel. 



GLOSSARY. 06 

Righting-lawn. Adjusting the ridges after the w] 
is sown. 

Rip. 6?. A vulgar. old, unchaste vroman. 

Hence, most y a Ae origin of Demirip. 

Robin-Riddick. s. A redbreast. [Alio Rabbin Hiri- 

dick ; the r ana i transposed. 
Rode. a-. To go to ro A means, late a: night or early 

in the morning, to go out to shoot wild fowl which 

pass over head on the wing. 
To Rose, v n. To drop out from the pod, or other - 

vessel, when the seeds are over-ripe. 
To Rough, v. a. To roughen : to make rough. 
Round-dock, s. The common mallow ; malva si 

Called round-dock from the roundness of its 

leaves. Chaucer has t wing expression 

which has a goo .1 deal puzz . th gl ssarists 

" Bat can-: then playin raket t 

a Nettle in, Docke : o now this n .Ao. 1 i 

Trail - - A BooklV. 

The round-dock Leaves are used at this 

supposed remedy or charm for the sting 

nettle, by being rubbed on the stung part, with 

the following words : — 

Nett 

That is. Go A dock, go out nettle. Xow. to play 

Settle in Docke out, is to make use of such expe- 
dients as shall drive awav or remove some previous 

evil, similar to that of driving out the venom 

the nettle bv the iuice or charm of the dock, 



54 GLOSSARY. 

( s. A quaint saying ; a low proverb. 
Roz'iin. \ s Eo ^ in 

Rud'derish. adj. Hasty, rude without care. 

Ruf. s. A roof. 

Rum. s. Room \ space. 

Rumpus, s. A great noise. 

This word ought to be in our English Dic- 
tionaries. 
Rungs, s. pi. The round steps of a ladder. 



S. 



The sound of S is very often converted into the 
sound of Z. Thus many of the following words, 
Sand-tot, Sar, Seed-lip, Silker, Sim, &c, are often pro- 
nounced Zand-tot, Zav, Zeead-lip, Zilker, Zim, &c. 
Sa cer-eyes. Very large and prominent eyes. [Saucer 

eyes. 
Sand-tot. s. A sandhill. 
To Sar. v. a. To serve — Toearn ; as, I can sar hut 

zixpence a day. 
Sar'ment. s. A sermon. 
Sar'rant. s. A servant. 
Sar'tin. adj. Certain. 
Sar'tinly. adv. Certainly. 
Scad. s. A short shower. 
Schol arcl. s. A scholar. 
Scissis-sheer. s. A scissors-sheath, 



GLOSSARY. bb 

Scollop, s. An indentation ; notch : collop. 

To Scollop, v. a. To indent ; to notch. 

Scoose wi\ Discourse or talk with you. 

To Scot'tle. v. a. To cut into pieces in a wasteful 
manner. 

Scrawf. s. Refuse. 

Scrawvlin. adj. Poor and mean, like scrawf. 

Screed, s. A shred. 

To Scrunch, v. a. and v. n. The act of crushing and 
bringing closer together is implied, accompanied 
with some kind of noise. A person may be said 
to scrunch an apple or a biscuit, if in eating it 
he made a noise ; so a pig in eating acorns. Mr. 
Southey has used the word in Thalaba without 
the s. 
" No sound but the wild, wild wind, 
" And the snow crunching under his feet." 

And, again, in the Anthology, vol 2, p. 240. 
" Grunting as they crunched the rnast." 
Scud. s. A scab. 
Sea-Bottle. 5. Many of the species of the sea-wrack, 

or fucus, are called sea-bottles, in consequence of 

the stalks having round or oval vesicles or pods 

in them; the pod itself. 
Sea-crow. s. A cormorant. 
Seed-lip. s. A vessel of a particular construction, in 

which the sower carries the seed. 
Sertimes. adv. Not often ; seldom. 
Shab. s. The itch ; the hug. Applied to brutes only* 



5 6 GLOSSARY. 

Shab-water. s, A water prepared with tobacco, and 

some mercurial, to cure the shab. 
Shabby, adv. Affected with the shab. Hence the 

origin of the common word shabby, mean, paltry. 
Shackle, s. A twisted band. 
Shal'der. s. A kind of broad flat rush, growing in 

ditches. 
Sharp, s. A shaft of a waggon, &c. 
Shatt'n. Shalt not. 
Sheer, s. A sheath. 
Shillith. s. A shilling's worth. 
Shine, s. Every shine o'm, is, every one of them. 
To Shod. v. a. To shed : to spill. 
Sholl. v. Shall. 
Shord. s. A sherd ; a gap in a hedge. A stop-shord, 

a stop-gap. 
hower. adj. Sure. 
Showl. s. A shovel. 
To Showl. v. a. To shovel. 

To Shride. ) v. a. To cut off wood from the sides of 
To Shroud, j trees ; or from trees generally. 

Shride. )s. Wood cut off from growing trees. It 
Shroud. J sometimes means a pole so cut ; ladeshrides 
— shrides placed for holding the load. See Lade- 
shrides. 
To Shug. v. a. To shrug ; to scratch ; to rub against. 

Shuttle, adj. Slippery, sliding : applied only to solid 
bodies. 



GLOSSARY. 57 

From this word is derived the shuttle (s.) of the 
weaver. 

Sig. s. Urine. 

Sil'ker. s. A court-card. 

To Sim. v. n. To seem, to appear. This verb is used 
personally, as, / sim, you sim, for it seems to me, 
etc. 

Sim-like-it. interj. (Seems like it.) Ironically, for very 
improbable. 

Sine. conj. [Probably from seeing or seen.'] Since, be- 
cause. 

Single-guss. s. The plant orchis. 

Single-stick, s. A game • sometimes called backsivord. 

Sizes, s. pi. The assizes. 

To Skag. To give an accidental blow, so as to tear 
the clothes or the flesh ; to wound slightly. 

Skag. s. An accidental blow, as of the heel of the shoe, 
so as to tear the clothes or the flesh ; any slight 
wound or rent. 

To Skeer. v. a. To mow lightly over : applied to pas- 
tures which have been summer-eaten, never to 
meadows. In a neuter sense, to move along 
quickly, and slightly touching. Hence, from its 
mode of flight, 

Skeer-devil. s. The black martin, or Swift. 

Skeer'ings. s. pi. Hay made from pasture land. 

Skent'in. adj. When cattle, although well fed, do not 
become fat, they are called skentin. 



; ~>8 GLOSSARY. 

Skenter. s. An animal which will not fatten. 

To Skew. ) ^ , 

} v. a. To skewer, 
lo bkrver. J 

Skiff-handed, adj. Left-handed, awkward. 

™ . -,' / s - pl- The play called nine-pins. 
Skittles. / r r J x 

Skimmerton. s. To ride Skimmerton, is an exhibition 
of riding by two persons on a horse, back to back ; 
or of several persons in a cart, having skimmers 
and ladles, with which they carry on a sort of 
warfare or gambols, designed to ridicule some one 
who, unfortunately, possesses an unfaithful wife. 
This may-game is played upon some other occasion 
besides the one here mentioned : it occurs, how- 
ever, very rarely, and will soon, I apjorehend, be 
quite obsolete. See Skimmington, in- Johnson. 

Skiv'er. s. A skewer. 

To Skram. v. a. To benumb with cold. 

Skram. adj. Awkward : stiff, as if benumbed. 

" With hondis al forslcramyd." 

Chaucer, Second Merchant's Tale. 

Skram-handed. adj. Having the fingers or joints of the 
hand in such a state that it can with difficulty be 
used ; an imperfect hand. 

To Skrent. v. a. [An irregular verb.] To burn, to 
scorch. 

Part. Skrent Scorched. 



GLOSSARY. 59 

Skum'mer. 5. A foulness made with a dirty liquid, or 
with soft dirt. 

To Skum'mer. v. a. To foul with a dirty liquid, or to 
daub with soft dirt. 

Slait. s. An accustomed run for sheep ; hence the 
place to which a person is accustomed, is called 
slait. 

To Slait. v. a. To accustom. 

To Slait. v. a. To make quick-lime in a fit state for 
use, by throwing water on it ; to slack. 

To Slat. v. a. To split ; to crack • to cleave. 

To Sleeze. v. n. To separate ; to come apart ; applied 
to cloth, when the warp and woof readily separate 
from each other. 

Sleezy. adj. Disposed to sleeze ; badly woven. 

Slen. adj. Slope. 

'Slike. It is like. 

Slipper-slopper. adj. Having shoes or slippers down at 
the heel ; loose. 

To Slitter, v.n. To slide. 

To Slock, v. a. To obtain clandestinely. 

To Slock'ster. v. a. To waste. 

Slom'aking. adj. Untidy; slatternly (applied to fe- 
males.) 

This word is, probably, derived from slow and 
mawkin. 

Slop'per. adj. Loose ; not fixed ; applied only to solid 
bodies. 



60 GLOSSARY. 

To Slot'ter. v.n To dirty ; to spill. 

Slot'tering. adj. Filthy, wasteful. 

Slot'ter. s. Any liquid thrown about, or accidentally 

spilled on a table, or the ground. 
Slug gardy-guise. s. The habit of a sluggard. 
Sluggardy-guise ; 
Loth to go to bed, 
And loth to rise. 

Wyat says — " Arise, for shame ; do away your 

slug gar dy." 
Sluck'-a-bed. j 

Sluck'-a-trice. >s. A slug-a-bed ; a sluggard. 
Slock'-a-trice. ' 
Smash, s. A blow or fall, by which any thing is 

broken. All to smash, all to pieces. 
Smeech. s. Fine dust raised in the air. 
To Smoor. v. a. To smooth ; to pat. 
Snags, s. Small sloes : prunus spinosa. 
Snag. 
Snagn. 

Snaggle'tooth. s. A tooth growing irregularly. 
Snarl, s. A tangle ; a quarrel. 

There is also the verb to snarl, to entangle. 
Snead. s. The crooked handle of a mowing scythe, 
Snippy, adj. Mean, parsimonious. 
Snock. s. A knock ; a smart blow. 
Snowl. s. The head. 
Soce. s. pi. Vocative case. Friends ! Companions ! 

Most probably derived from the Latin socius. 



I s. A tooth. 
1. j 



GLOSSARY. 6 1 

To Soss. v. a. To throw a liquid from one vessel to 

another. 
Sour-dock. s. Sorrel : rumex acetosa. 
Souse, s. pi. Sousen. The ears. Pigs somen, pig's ears. 
Spar. s. The pointed sticks, doubled and twisted in 

the middle, and used for fixing the thatch of a 

roof, are called spars : they are commonly made 

of split willow rods. 

Spar'kicl. adj. Speckled. 

Spar'ticles. s. pi. Spectacles : glasses to assist the sight. 

Spawl. s. A chip from a stone. 

Spill, s. A stalk ; particularly that which is long and 
straight. To run to spill, is to run to seed ; it 
sometimes also means to be unproductive. 

Spill, s. See Wokra. 

To Spit. v. a. To dig with a spade ; to cut up with a 

spitter. See the next word. 
Spitter. s. A small tool with a long handle, used for 

cutting up weeds, thistles, &c. 
To Spit'tle. v. a. To move the earth lightly with a 

spade or spitter. 
Spit 'tie. adj. Spiteful ; disposed to spit in anger. 
To Spring, v. a. To moisten ; to sprinkle. 
To Spry. v. n. To become chapped by cold. 
Spry. adj. Nimble ; active. 
To Squail. v. a. To fling a stick at a cock, or other 

bird. See Cock-Squailling. 
To Squitter- v. n. To Squirt. 



62 GLOSSARY. 

To Squot. v. n. To bruise ; to compress, v. n. To 
squat. 

Squot. s. A bruise, by some blow or compression : a 
squeeze. 

Stad'clle. s. The wooden frame, or logs, &c, with 
stone or other support on which ricks of corn are 
usually placed. 

Stake-Hang. s. Sometimes called only a hang. A 
kind of circular hedge, made of stakes, forced 
into the sea-shore, and standing about 6 feet above 
it, for the purpose of catching salmon, and other 
fish. 

Stang. s. A long pole. 

Stay'ers. s. pi. Stairs. 

Stean. s. A large jar made of stone ware. 

Steanin. s. A ford made with stones at the bottom of 
a river. 

Steeple, s. Invariably means a spire. 

Steert. s. A point. 

Stem. s. A long round shaft, used as a handle for 



various 



tools. 



Stickle, adj. Steep, applied to hills ; rapid, applied to 
water : a stickle path, is a steep path ; a stickle 
stream, a rapid stream. 

Stickler, s. A person who presides at backsword or 
singlestick, to regulate the game ; an umpire : a 
person who settles disp utes. 



GLOSSARY. 63 

Stitch, s. Ten sheaves of corn set up on end in the 
field after it is cut ; a shock of corn. 

To Stive, v. a. To close and warm. 
To Stiv'er. v. n. To stand up in a wild manner like 
hair ; to tremble. 

Stodge, s. Any very thick liquid mixture. 

\ adj. Made of stone * consisting of stone. 
Stwonen. J 

Stomachy, adj. Obstinate, proud ; haughty. 

Stook. s. A sort of stile beneath which water is dis- 
charged. 

To Stoor. v. a. and v. n. To stir. 

Stout, s. A gnat. 

Strad, s. A piece of leather tied round the leg to de- 
fend it from thorns, &c. A pair of stracls, is two 
such pieces of leather. 

Stritch. A strickle : a piece of wood used for striking 
off the surplus from a corn measure. 

To Strout. v. n. To strut. 

Strouter. s. Any thing which projects ; a strutter. 

To Stud. v. n. To study. 

Su'ent. adj. Even, smooth, plain. 

Su'ently. adj. Evenly, smoothly, plainly. 

To Sulsh. v. a. To soil ; to dirty. 

Sulsh. s. A spot * a stain. 

Sum. s. A question in arithmetic. 

Sum'min. s. (Summing) Arithmetic. 



64 



GLOSSARY. 



To Suni'my. v. n. To work by arithmetical rules. 
Summer-voy. s. The yellow freckles in the face. 
To Suf fy. ) v. n. To inspire deeply and quickly. Such 
To ZufFy. J an action occurs more particularly upon 

immersing the body in cold water. 
Suth'ard. adv. Southward. 
To Swan'kum. v. n. To walk to and fro in an idle and 

careless manner. 
To Swell. ) ^ 

m r* n l V ' a - T ° SWalloW. 

To Zwell. J 

To Sweetort. v. a. To court ; to woo. 

Sweetortin. s. Courtship. 

T. 

Tack. s. A shelf. 

Talker, s. The waxed thread used by shoemakers. 

Ta'ety. s. A potato. 

Taf fety. adj. Dainty, nice : used chiefly in regard to 

food. 
TaHet. s. The upper room next the roof ; used chiefly 

of out-houses, as a hdij-tallet. 
Tan. adv. Then, now an Tan; now and then. 
To Tang. v. a. To tie. 
Tap and Cannel. s. A spigot and faucet. 
Tay'ty. s. See A hayty-tayty. 
Tees r ty-totsy. s. The blossoms of cowslips, tied into a 

ball and tossed to and fro for an amusement called 

teesty-tosty. It is sometimes called simply a tosty. 



GLOSSARY. 65 

Tee'ry. adj. Faint weak. 

Teni'tious. adj. Tempting; inviting. [Used also in 
Wiltshire]. 

TM. pron. They. 

Than. adv. Then. 

Thauf. conj. Though, although. 

Theaze. pron. This. 

Theeazam. 



2 ) 

\pron. These. 
Ineeazarny. J 



Them. I 

ThemW. J PTOn ' Th ° Se * 

The'rence. adv. From that place. 

Thereawa. ] 7 m i . 
^. > aav. i hereabout. 

1 hereaway. J 

Therevor-i-sayt ! infer]. Therefore I say it ! 

Thic. pron. That. (Thilk, Chaucer.) [West of the 
Parret, thecky.] 

Tho. adv. Then. 

Thornen. adj. Made of thorn ; haying the quality or 
nature of thorn. 

Thorough, prep. Through. 

Thread the Needle. ) 

Dird the Needle. j 8 ' A play ' 

"Throwing batches/ 5 cutting up and destroying ant- 
hills. 

Tiff. s. A small draught of liquor. 

To tile. v. a. To set a thing in such a situation that it 
may easily fall. 



66 GLOSSARY. 

Til'ty. adj. Testy, soon offended. 
Tim'mer. s # Timber ; wood. 

Tim'mern. adj. Wooden ; as a timmern bowl ; a 
wooden bowl. 

Tim'mersom. adj. Fearful ; needlessly uneasy. 

To Tine. v. a. To shut, to close ; as, tine the door ; 
shut the door. To inclose ; to tine in the moor, 
is to divide it into several allotments. To light, to 
kindle; as, to tine the candle, is to light the 
candle. 

Quarles uses this verb : 

" What is my soul the better to be tirCd 
« With holy fire?" 

Emblem XII. 

To Tip. v. a. To turn or raise on one side. 
Tip. s. A draught of liquor. Hence the word tipple^ 
because the cup must be tipped when you drink. 

To Tite. v. a. To weigh. 

Tite. s. Weight. The tite of a pin, the weight of a 

pin. 
Todo". s. A bustle ; a confusion. 
To Toll. v. a. To entice ; to allure. 
Toor. s. The toe. 
Tosty. s. See Teesty-tosty. 
Tote. s. The whole. This word is commonly used for 

intensity, as the whol tote, from totus, Latin. 

To Tot'tle. v. n. To walk in a tottering manner, like 
a child. 



GLOSSARY. 67 

Touse. 8. A blow on some part of the head. 

Towards, prep, is, in Somersetshire, invariably pro- 
nounced as a dissyllable, with the accent on the 
last : to-war d's. Our polite pronunciation, tordz, 
is clearly a corruption. 

Tramp, s. A walk ; a journey. 

To Tramp, v. n. and Tramper. s. will be found 
in Johnson, where also this word ought to be. 

To Trapes, v. n. To go to and fro in the dirt. 
Trapes, s. A slattern. 
Trim. v. a. To beat. 

TruVagully. s. A short dirty, ragged fellow, accus- 
tomed to perform the most menial ofHces. 

To Truckle, v. a. and v. n. To roll. 

Truckle, s. A globular or circular piece of wood or 
iron, placed under another body, in order to move 
it readily from place. A Truckle-bed, is a small 
bed placed upon truckles, so that it may be readily 
moved about. 

These are the primary and the common mean- 
ings in the West, of To truckle, v. Truckle, s. and 
Truckle-bed. 

Tun. s. A chimney. 

Tun negar. s. A Funnel. 

Turf. s. pi. Turves. Peat cut into pieces and dried 

for fuel. 
Tur'mit. s. A turnip . 
Tur'ney. s. An attorney. 



68 GLOSSARY. 

Turn-string, s. A string made of twisted gut, much 

used in spinning. See Worra. 
To Tus'sle. v. n. To struggle with ; to contend. 
Tut. s. A hassock. 
Tut-work. s. Work done by the piece or contract; 

not work by the day. 

Tuth/er. pron. The other. 

Tuth'eram. ) rrn xl 

m , , \pron. 1 he others. 

Tutli'ermy. \ l 

Tut'ty. s. A flower ; a nosegay. 

'Tword'n. It was not. 

To Twick. v. a. To twist or jerk suddenly. 

Twick. s. A sudden twist or jerk. 

TwiTy. adj. Restless; wearisome. 

Twi'ripe. adj. Imperfectly ripe. 



U. 



ITnk'et. adj. Dreary, dismal, lonely. 

To Unray'. v. a. To undress. 

To Untang'. v. a. To untie. 

To Up. v. a. To arise. 

Up'pin-stock. s. A horse-block. See Ligkting-stock. 

TTpsi'des. adv. On an equal or superior footing. To 
be upsides with a person, is to do something which 
shall be equivalent to, or of greater importance or 
value than what has been done by such person 
to us. 



GLOSSAEY. 69 

Utch'y. pron. I. This word is not used in the Wes- 
tern or Eastern, but only in the Southern parts 
of the County of Somerset. It is, manifestly, a cor- 
rupt pronunciation of Ich, or Iche, pronounced as 
two syllables., the Anglo-Saxon word for I. What 
shall utchy do ? What shall I do. 

I think Chaucer sometimes uses iche as a dis- 
syllable ) vide his Poems passim. Ctiam, is I 
am, that is, ich am ; chtill, is I will, ich will. See 
Shakespeare's King Lear, Act IV., Scene IV. 
What is very remarkable, and which confirms me 
greatly in the opinion which I here state, upon 
examining the first folio edition of Shakespeare, 
at the London Institution, I find that ch is 
printed, in one instance, with a mark of elision 
before it thus, 'ch, a proof that the i in iche was 
sometimes dropped in a common and rapid pro- 
nunciation. In short, this mark of elision ought 
always so to have been printed, which would, most 
probably, have prevented the conjectures which 
have been hazarded upon the origin of the mean- 
of such words chudd, chill, and chum. It is sin- 
gular enough that Shakespeare has the ch for iche 
I, and Ise for I, within the distance of a few lines 
in the passage above alluded to, in King Lear. 
But, perhaps, not more singular than that in 
Somersetshire may, at the present time, be heard 
for the pronoun I, Utchy, or iche, and Ise. In 
the Western parts of Somersetshire, as well as in 
Devonshire, Ise is now used very generally for L 



70 GLOSSARY. 

The Germans of the present day pronounce, 
I understand, their ich sometimes as it is pro- 
nounced in the West, Ise 9 which is the sound we 
give to frozen water, ice. See Miss Ham's letter, 
towards the conclusion of this work. 



V. 



[The Y is often substituted for f, as vor, for, veo, few ? 

&c. 
Yage. \ s. A voyage ; but more commonly applied to 
Yaze. J the distance employed to increase the intensity 

of. motion or action from a given point. 
To Yang. v. a. To receive ; to earn, 
Yarden. s. Farthing. 
Yare, s. A species of weasel. 
To Yare. v. n. To bring forth young : applied to pigs 

and some other animals. 
Yar'mint. s. A vermin. 
Yaught. part. Fetched. 

Vur vaughtj 

And dear a-bought. 

(i. e.) Far-fetched, and dear bought. 
Yawth. s. A bank of dung or earth prepared for 

manure. 
To Yay. v. n. To succeed ; to turn out well ; to go. 

This word is, most probably, derived from vaw 9 

part of the French verb aller, to go. 
It don't vay ; it does not go on well. 



GLOSSARY. 71 

To Vaze. v. n. To move about a room, or a house, so 

as to agitate the air. 
YeeFvare. s. A fieldfare. 
Yeel, s. A field ; corn land unenclosed. 
To Yeel. v. To feel. 
Yeel'd. part. Felt. 
Yell. $. The salted stomach of a calf used for making 

cheese ; a membrane. 

Yeo. adj. Few, little. 

Yer'di. ) n . . 
^r ,.. >#• Opinion. 
Yer'dit. J l 

To Yes'sy. v. n. When two or more persons read 
verses alternately, they are said to vessy. 

Yes'ter. s. A pin or wire to point out the letters to 

children to read ; a fescue. 
Yier. s. Fire, Some of our old writers make this 

word of two syllables : (i Fy-er." 
Yin'e. v. Find. 
Yine. adj. Fine. 

Yin'ned. adj. Mouldy ; humoursome ; affected. 
Yist. ) ,_. , m , ^. 

Vice. / * P lon ^ The FlSt 
Yitious. adj. Spiteful; revengeful. 
Yitten. s. See Fitten. 
Yit'ty. adv. Properly, aptly. 
Ylare. v. n. To burn wildly ; to flare. 
Yleer. s. A flea. 
Ylan'nin. 5. Flannel. 



72 GLOSSARY. 

Yleng'd. part. Flung. 

Yloth'er. s. Incoherent talk ; nonsense. 

Yoc'ating. part Going about from place to place in 
an idle manner. From voco, Latin. The verb to 
voc'ate, to go about from place to place in an idle 
manner, is also occasionally used. 

Yoke. s. Folk. 

To Yolly. v. a. To follow. 

Yollier. s. Something which follows ; a follower. 

Yooath. adv. Forth ; out. To goo vooath, is to go out. 

To Yooase. v. a. To force. 

Yorad. adv. adj. Forward. 

Yor'n. pron. For him. 

Yoreright. adj. Blunt ; candidly rude. 

Youn. Found. 

Vouse. adj. Strong, nervous, forward. 

Yro'ast. s. Frost. 

To Yug. v. a. To strike with the elbow. 

Yug. s. A thrust or blow with the elbow. 

Yur. adv. Far. 

Yur'der. adv. Farther. 

Yurdest. adv. Farthest. 

Yur'vooath. adv. Far-forth. 

Yust. adj. First. 

W. 
To Wai/lup. v. a. To beat. 



GLOSSARY. 73 

Walnut. 5. The double large walnut. The ordinary 

walnuts are called French nuts. 
To Wam'rael. | v. n. To move to and fro in an irregu- 
To Wamble, j lar and awkward manner ; to move out 

of a regular course or motion. 

Applied chiefly to mechanical operations. 

War. interj. Beware ! take care ! War-whing ! Take 

care of yourself. 
War. v. This is used for the preterite of the verb to 

be, in almost all the persons, as 1 ivar, he war, 

we war, &c. 
To Ward. v. n. To wade. 
To Warnt. ) m , 

To Warnd. T'- ^ T ° ^^ 
Wash-dish. s. The bird called wagtail. 
To Way-zalt. v. n. [To weigh salt.] To play at the 

game of wayzaltiu. See the next article. 
Way-zaltin. s. A game, or exercise, in which two 

persons stand back to back, with their arms in- 

terlaced, and lift each other up alternately. 

Weepy, adj. Abounding with springs ; moist. 
Well-apaid. adj. Appeased; satisfied. 
Well-at-ease. ) ,• tt j. i in. 
Well-at-eased.}^ 116 ^' 11 ^ 1 ^ 
Wetshod. adj. Wet in the feet. 
Wev'et. s. A spider s web. 
To Whack, v. a. To beat with violence, 
Whack, s. A loud blow. 



74: GLOSSARY. 

Whatsomiver. pron. Whatsoever. 

Whaur. adv. Where. 

To Wheeler, v. n. To laugh in a low vulgar manner ; 
to neigh. 

Where, adv. Whether. 

Wherewi'. s. Property, estate; money. 

Whim. s. Home. 

Whing. s. Wing. 

Whipper-snapper, adj. Active, nimble, sharp. 

Whipswhile. s. A short time ; the time between the 
strokes of a whip. 

Whir'ra. See Worra. 

Whister-twister. s. A smart blow on the side of the 
head. 

To Whiv'er. v. n. To hover. 

Whiz'bird. s. A term of reproach. 

To Whop. v. a. To strike with heavy blows, 

Whop. s. A heavy blow. 

Who'say, or Hoosay. s. A wandering report ; an ob- 
servation of no weight. 

Whot. adj. Hot. 

Whun. adv. When. 

Wi\ With ye. 

Wid'ver. s. A widower. 

Willy, s. A term applied to baskets of various sizes, 
but generally to those holding about a bushel. 
So called from their being made commonly of 
willow : sometimes called also willy-basket. 

To Wim. v. a. To winnow. 



GLOSSARY. 75 

Wim-sheet. ) s. A sheet upon which corn is 

Wimmin-sheet. J winnowed. 

Wimmin-dust. s. Chaff. 

Win'dor. s. A window. 

Wine. s. Wind. 

With'er. pron. Other. 

With'erguess. adj. Different. 

Wit h/y- wine. s. The plant bindweed : convolvulus. 

Witt. adj. Fit. 

With'erwise. adj. Otherwise. 

Wock, s. Oak. 

Wocks. s. pi. The cards called clubs ; most probably 
from having the shape of an oak leaf : oaks. 

Wont, s. A Mole. 

Wont-heave, s. A mole-hill. 

Wont-snap. 5. A mole-trap. 

Wont-wriggle, s. The sinuous path made by moles 
under ground. 

Wood-quist. s. A wood-pigeon. 

Worclle. s. World. [Transposition of I and d.~\ 

Wor'ra. 5. A small round moveable nut or pinion, 
with grooves in it, and having a hole in its 
centre, through which the end of a round stick or 
spill may be thrust. The spill and worra are 
attached to the common spinning-wheel, which, 
with those and the turn-string y form the apparatus 
for spinning wool, &c. Most probably this word, 
as well as whir'on, is used for whir, to turn round 
rapidly with a noise. 



76 GLOSSARY. 

Wrassly. Wrestle. 

To Wride. v. n. To spread abroad ; to expand. 

Wriggle, s. Any narrow, sinuous hole. 

Wrine. s. A mark occasioned "by wringing cloth, or 

by folding it in an irregular manner. 
Wring, s. A Press. A cyder-wring, a cyder-press. 
To Wrumple. v. a. To discompose : to rumple. 
Wrumple. s. A rumple. 
Wust. adj. Worst. 

Y. 
Yack'er. s. An acre. 
Yal. s. Ale. 

Yaller. adj. Yellow. 

Yalliouse. s. An ale-house. 

Yap'ern. s. An apron. 

Yarly. adj. Early. 

Yarm. s. Arm. 

Yarth. s. Earth. 

Yel. s. An eel. 

Yel-spear. s. An instrument for catching eels. 

Yes. s. An earthworm. 

Yezy. adj. Easy. 

Yokes, s. pi. Hiccups. 

Yourn. pron. Yours. 

Z. 

See the observations which precede the letter S, 
relative to the change of that letter to Z. 



GLOSSARY. 7 7 

Za. adv. So. 

Za. v. Say. 

Zat. adj. Soft. 

Za'tenfare. atZ/'. Softish : applied to the intellects. 

To Zam. v. a. To heat for some time over the fire, but 

not to boil. 
Zam'zod. ) adj. Any thing heated for a long time 
Zam'zodden. / time in a low heat so as to be in part 
spoiled, is said to be zamzodden. 

Conjecture, in etymology, may be always busy. 
It is not improbable that this word is a com- 
pound 01 semi, Latin, half ; and to seethe, to boil : 
so that Zamzodden will then mean, literally, half- 
boiled. 
Zand. s. Sand. 
Zandy. adj. Sandy. 
Zand-tot. s. A sand-hill. 

To Zee. v. a. pret. and part. Zid, Zeed. To see. 
Zee'acl. s. Seed. 
Zeead-lip. See Seed-lip. 
Zel. pron. Self. 
Zen'vy. s. Wild mustard. 

The true etymology will be seen at once in 
seneve, French, from sinapi, Latin, contracted and 
corrupted into Zenvy, Somersetian. 
Zirker. See Silker. 
Zim, Zim'd. v. Seem, seemed. 
Zitch. adj. Such. 
Zooap. s. Soap. 



i 6 GLOSSARY. 

Zog. s. Soft, boggy land ; moist land. 

Zog'gy. adj. Boggy; wet. 

Zoon'er. adv. Itather. 

To Zound. 1 m 

To Zoun'dy. } * * T ° SW °° n - 

To Zuf fy. V. W. &<?e To SUFFY. 

Zug'gers ! inter j, This is a word, like others of the 
same class, the precise meaning of which it is not 
easy to define. I dare say it is a composition 
of two, or more words, greatly corrupted in pro- 
nunciation. 

Zull. s. The instrument used for ploughing land ; a 
plough. 

Zum. pron. Some, 

Zum'niet. pron. Somewhat ; something. 

Zunz. adv. Since. 

To Zwail. v. n. To move about with the arms ex- 
tended, and up and down. 

To Zwang. v. n. and v. n. To swing ; to move to and 
fro. 

Zwang. s. A swing. 

To Zwell. v. a. To swell ; to swallow. See To Swell 

Zwird. s. Sword. 

Zwod'der. s. A drowsy and stupid state of body or 
mind. 

Derived, most probably, from sudor, Latin, a 
sweat. 



POEMS 



OTHEE PIECES 



EXEMPLIFYING THE 



DIALECT 



OF THE 



Ofrjtmtp of §>Qmtv$tt$t)ivt. 



Notwithstanding the Author has endeavoured, in the 
Observations on the Dialects of the West, and in 
The Glossary, to obviate the difficulties under which 
strangers to the dialect of Somersetshire may, very 
possibly, labour in the perusal of the following 
Poems, it may be, perhaps, useful here to remind 
the reader, that many mere inversions of sound, and 
differences in pronunciation, are not noted in the 
Glossary. That it did not appear necessary to 
explain such words as wine, ivind ; za, say ; qut, 
coat ; bwile, boil ; hoss, horse ; hirches, riches ; and 
many others, which it is presumed the context, the 
Observations, or the Glossary, will sufficiently 
explain. The Author, therefore, trusts, that by a 
careful attention to these, the reader will soon be- 
come au fait at the interpretation of these West- 
country Liddens. 



81 



GOOD BWYE TA THEE COT ! 

Good bwye ta thee Cot ! whaur tha das o' my childhood 
Glaw'd bright as tha zun in a mornin o' ma ; 

When tha dumbledores huniniin, craup out o' tha cob- 
wall, 
An' shakin ther whings, tha vleed vooath an' awa.'^ 

Good bwye ta the Cot ! — on thy drashel, a-nia-be, 
I niver naw moor sholl my voot again zet ; 

Tha jessamy awver thy porch zweetly bloomin, 
Whauriver I goo, I sholl niver vorget. 

Tha rawzes, tha lillies, that blaw in tha borders — 
The gilawfers, too, that I us'd ta behawld — 

Tha trees, wi' tha honeyzucks ranglin all awver, 
I always sholl think o' nif I shood be awld. 

Tha tutties that oten I pick'd on a zunday, 

And stickt in my qut — tha war thawted za fine : 

Aw how sholl I tell o'm — vor all pirty maidens 

When I pass'd 'em look'd back — ther smill rawze on 
tha wine. 

* The humble-bee, bombUius major, or dunibledore, makes holes 
very commonly in mud walls,, in which it deposits a kind of farina : 
in this bee will be found, on dissection, a considerable portion of 
honey, although it never deposits any. 

G 



82 POEMS. 

Good bwye ta thee Ash ! which my Father beforne me, 
A planted, wi' pleasure, tha da I was born ; 

Za, oolt thou drap a tear when I cease to behawld thee, 
An wander awa droo tha wordle vorlorn. 

Good bwye ta thee Tree ! an thy cawld shade in 
zummer ; 
Thy apples, aw who ool be lotted ta shake ? 
When tha wine, mangst thy boughs sifes at Milemas 
in sorrow, 
Za oolt thou sife for me, or one wild wish awake ? 

Good bwye ye dun Elves ! who, on whings made o' 
leather, 

Still roan my poorch whiver an' whiver at night ; 
Aw ma naw hord-horted, unveelin disturber, 

Destray your snug nests, an your pla by moonlight. 

Good bwye ta thee Bower ! — ta thy moss an thy ivy — 
To tha flowers that aroun thee all blossomin graw ; 

When I'm gwon, oolt thou grieve 1 — bit 'tis foolish to 
ax it ; 
What is ther that's shower in this wordle belaw ? 

Good bwye ta thee Cot ! whaur my mother za thought- 
vul, 

As zumtimes she war droo er care vor us all, 
Er lessins wi' kindness, wi' tenderness gid us ; 

An ax'd, war she dead, what ood us bevall. 



GOOD BWYE TA THEE COT. 83 

Good bwye ta thee Cot ! whaur tlia nightingale's music, 
In tha midnight o' Ma-time, rawze loud on the ear ; 

Whaur tha colley awak'd, wi' tha zun, an a zingin 
A went, wi' tha dirsh, in a voice vull and clear. 

Good bwye ta thee Cot ! I must goo ta tha city. 

Whaur, I'm tawld, that the smawk makes it dork at 
noon da ; 
Bit nif it is true, I'm afeard that I always 

And iver sholl thenk on tha cot thatch' d wi' stra. 

Good bwye ta thee Cot ! there is One that rains awver, 
Aji watches tha wordle, wi' wisdom divine ; 

Than why shood I mang, wi' tha many, my ma-bes ; 
Bin there's readship in Him, an to him I resign. 

Good bwye ta thee Cot ! shood T niver behauld thee 
Again ; still I thank thee vor all that is past ! 

Thy friendly ruf shelter' d — while mother watch' d 
awver. 
An haw'd vor my comfort vrom vust unto last. 

Good bwye ta thee Cot ; vor the time ma be longful 
Beforn I on thy drashall again zet my eye ; 

Thy tutties ool blossom, an daver an blossom 

Again and again — zaw good bwye, an good bwye ! 



84 POEMS. 

FANNY FEAR. 

The melancholy incident related in the following story, actually 
occurred a few years ago at Shapwick. 

Good Gennel-vawk ! an if you please 

To lissen to my stony, 
A ma-be 'tis a jitch a one, 

Ool make ye zummet zorry. 

"lis not a hoozay tale of grief, 

A put wi' ort together, 
That where you cry, or where you laugh, 

Da matter not a veather ; 

Bit 'tis a tale vor sartin true, 

Wi' readship be it spawken ; 
I knaw it all, begummers ! well, 

By tale, eese, an by tawken. 

The maid's right name war Fanny Fear, 

A tidy body lookin ; 
An she coocl brew, and she cood bake, 
An dumplins bwile, and skimmer cake ; 

An all the like o' cookin. 

Upon a Zunday aternoon, 

Beforne the door a stanin, 
To zee er chubby cheaks za hird, 
An whitist lilies roun 'em spird, 

A damas rawze her han in, 



FANNY FEARN. 85 

Ood do your liort good ; an er eyes, 
Dork, vull, an bright, an sporklin ; 

Tha country lads could not goo by, 

Bit look tha must — she iver shy, 
Ood blish — tha timid lorklin ! 

Her dame war to her desperd kind ; 

She knaw'd er well dezarvin : 
She gid her good advice an claws, 
At which she niver toss'd her naws, 

As zum ool, thawf pon starvin. 

She oten yarly upp'd to goo 

A milkin o' tha dairy ; 
The meads ring'd loudly wi' er zong ; 
Aw how she birshed the grass along, 

As lissom as a vairy ! 

She war as happy as a prince ; 

Naw princess moor o' pleasure 
When well-at-eased cood iver veel ; 
She ly'd her head upon her peel, 

An vound athin a treasure. 



There war a dessent comly youth, 

Who took'd to her a likin ; 
An when a don'd in zunday claws, 
You'd thenk en zummet I suppaws, 
A look'd so desperd strikin. 



86 • POEMS. 

His vace war like a zummer da. 

When all the birds be zingin ; 
Smiles an good nature dimplin stood^ 
An moor besides, an all za good, 
Much pleasant promise bringin. 

Now Jan war sawber, and afeard 
Nif he in haste shood morry, 

That he mid long repent thereof; 

An zo a thwart 'twar best not, thawf 
To sta mid make en zorry. 

Jan oten pass'd the happy door, 

There Fanny stood a scrubbin ; 
An Fanny hired hiz pleasant voice, 
An thawt — "An if she had er choice 1" 
An veel'd athin a drubbin. 



Bit Jan did'n hulder long iz thawts ; 

Vor thorough iv'ry cranny, 
Hirn'd of iz hort tha warm hird tide ; 
An a cood na moor iz veelins bide, 

Bit tell 'em must to Fanny. 

To Fanny, than, one Whitsun eve> 

A tawld er how a lov'd er ; 
Naw dove, a zed to er cood be 
Moor faith vul than to her ood he ; 
His hort had long appruv'd er. 



FANNY FEAR. 87 

Wi' timourous blishin, Fanny zed, 

" A maid mist not believe ye; 
" Vor men ool tell ther lovin tale, 
** And awver seely maids prevail — 

" Bit I dwont like ta grieve ye : 

" Vor nif za be you now za true — 

" That you've for I a fancy : 
" (Aw Jan ! I dwont veel desperd well, 
" An what's tha caze, I cannot tell), 

" You'll za na moor to Nancy." 

Twar zaw begin'd their zweetortin ; 

Booath still liv'd in their places : 
Zometimes tha met bezides tha stile ; 
Wi' pleasant look an tender smile 

Gaz'd in each wither's faces. 

In spreng-time oten on tha nap 

Ood Jan and Fanny linger ; 
An when war vooas'd to za a good bwye," 
Ood meet again, wi' draps in eye, 

While haup ood pwint er vinger. 

Zo pass'd tha das — tha moons awa, 

An haup still whiver'd nigh ; 
Nif Fanny's dreams high pleasures vill, 
Of her Jan's thawts the lidden still, 

An oten too the zigh. 



88 POEMS. 

Bit still Jan had not got wherewi' 

To venter eet to morry ; 
Alas-a-da ! when poor vawk love, 
How much restraint how many pruv; 

How zick zum an how zorry. 

Aw you who live in houzen grate, 

An wherewi' much possessin, 
You knaw not, ma-be, care not you, 
What pangs jitch tender horts pursue, 
How grate nor how distressin. 

Jan sar'd a varmer vour long years, 

An now iz haups da brighten : 
A gennelman of high degree 
Choos'd en iz hunsman vor to be ; 
His Fanny's hort da lighten ! 

" Now, Fan," zed he, " nif I da live, 

" Nex zummer thee bist mine ; 
u Sir John ool gee me wauges good, 
" Ama-be too zum vier ood ! " 
His Fan's dork eyes did shine. 

" To haw vor thee, my Fan/' a cried, 

" I iver sholl delight ; 
" Thawf I be poor, 'tool be my pride 
"To ha my Fan vor a buxom bride — 

" My lidden da an night." 



FANNY FEARON. 89 

A took er gently in iz orms 

An kiss'd er za zweetly too ; 
His Fan, vor jay, not a word cood speak, 
Bit a big roun tear rawl'd down er cheak, 
It zimm'd as thawf er hort ood break- 
She cood hordly tlienk it true. 

To zee our hunsman goo abroad, 

His houns bebind en volly ; 
His tossel'd cap — bis whip's smort smack. 
His boss a prancin wi' tha crack, 
His wbissle, horn, an holler, back ! 

Ood cure all nialancholy. 

It happ'd on a dork an wintry night, 

Tha stormy wine a blawin ; 
Tha houns made a naise an a dismal yell ; 
Jitch as zum vawk za da death vaurtell, 

The cattle loud war lawin. 

Tha hunsman wakid an down a went ; 

A thawt ta keep 'em quiet ; 
A niver stopped izzel ta dress, 
Bit a went in iz shirt vor readiness 
A voun a dirdful riot. 

Bit all thic night a did not come back ; 

All night tha dogs did raur ; 
In tha mornin tha look'd on tha kannel stwons 
An zeed 'em cover'd wi' gaur an bwons, 

The vlesh all vrom 'em a taur. 



90 POEMS. 

His head war left — the head o' Jan 

Who lov'd hiz Fanny za well ; 
An a bizzy gossip, as gossips be 
Who've work o' ther awn bit vrom it vlee, 

To Fanny went ta tell. 

She hirn'd, she vleed ta meet tha man 

Who corr'd er dear Jan's head : 
An when she zeed en all blood an gaur, 
She drapp'd down speechless jist avaur, 

As thauf she had bin dead. 

Poor Fanny com'd ta erzel again, 

Bit her senses left her vor iver ! 
An all she zed, ba da or night — 
Vor sleep it left her eye-lids quite — 
War, " why did he goo in the cawld ta shiver ?- 

" Niver, Jan ! sholl I zee the, niver ! "* 



JERRRY NUTTY; 

OR 

THE MAN OF MORK. 

Awa wf all yer tales o' grief, 
An dismal storry writin ; 

* See a letter by Edward Band, on this subject, in the prose 
pieces. 



JERRY KUTTY. 91 

A ma-be zumthin I ma zing 
Ool be as much delightin. 

Zumtime agoo, bevaur tha moors 

War tin'cl in, lived at Mork 
One Jerry Nutty — spry a war; 

A upp'd avaur the lork. 

Iz vather in a little cot 

Liv'd, auver-right tha moor, 
An thaw a kipt a vlock o' geese, 

A war a thoughted poor. 

A niver teach' d tha cris-cross-lain 

Ta any of his bways, 
An Jerry, mangst the rest o'm, did 

Not much appruv his ways. 

Vor Jerry zumtimes went ta church 

Ta hire tha Pason preach, 
An thawt what pity that ta read 

Izzel a cood'n teach. 

Vor than, a zunday aternoon, 

Tha Bible, or good book 
Would be companion vit vor'm all 

Who choos'd therein ta look. 

Bit Jerry than tha naise o' geese 
Bit little moor could hire ; 



92 POEMS. 

An daly goose-aggs ta pick up 
Droo-out tlia moor did tire. 



A oten look'd upon tha hills 
An stickle mountains roun, 

An wished izzel upon their taps : 
What zights a ood be boun ! 

Bit what did moo'ast iz fancy strick 
War Glassenberry Torr : 

A always zeed it when tha zun 
Gleam'd wi' tha mornin stor. 

O' Well's grate church a oten hired, 

Iz fancy war awake ; 
An zaw a thawt that zoon a ood 

A journey ta it make. 

An Grlassenberry's Torr, an Thorn 
The hawly blowth of which 

A hired from one and tother too ; 
Tha like war never jitch ! 

Bit moor o' this I need not za, 
Vor off went Jerry Nutty, 

In hiz right hon a wakin stick, 
An in hiz qut a tutty. 

Now, lock-y-zee ! in whimly dress 
Trudg'd chearful Jerry on ; 



JERRY NUTTY. 93 

Bit on tha moor not vur a went— 
A made a zudden ston. 

Which wa ta goo a cood not thenk, 

Yor there war many a wa ; 
A put upright iz walking stick ; 

A vall'd ta tha zon o' da. 

Ta tha suthard than iz wa a took 

Athert tha turfy moors, 
An zoon o' blissom Cuzziton,* 

A pass'd tha cottage doors. 

Tha maidens o' tha cottages, 

Not us'd strange vawk to zee, 
Com'd vooath and stood avaur tha door ; 

Jer wonder' d what cood be. 

Zum smil'd, zum whecker'd, zum o'm blish'd. 

" Od dang it ! " Jerry zed, 
" What do tha think that I be like ? " 

An nodded to 'm iz head. 

" Which is tha wa to Glassenberry 1 

" I've hired tha hawly thorn 
" War zet there by zum hawly hons 

" Zoon ater Christ war born ; 

* Cossington. 



94- POEMS. 

" An I've a mine ta zee it too, 

" An o' tha blowth ta take." 
" An how can you, a seely man, 

" Jitch seely journey make ? 

" What ! dwont ye knaw that now about 

" It is the midst o' June i 
" Tha hawly thorn at Kirsmas blaws — 

f'You be zix months too zoon. 

4< Goo whim again, yea gawky ! goo !" 

Zaw zed a damsel vair 
As dewy mornin late in Ma ; 

An Jerry wide did stare. 

" Lord Miss !" zed he, a I niver thawt, 
" 0' Kirsmas ! — while I've shoes, 

" To goo back now I be zet out, 
" Is what I sholl not choose. 

" I'll zee the Torr an hawly thorn, 

" An Glassenberry too ; 
" An, nif you'll put me in tha wa, 

" I'll gee grate thanks tayou." 

" Goo droo thic veel an up thic lane, 

" An take tha lift hon path, 
" Than droo Miss Grossman's backzid strait^ 

" Ool bring ye up ta Wrath. 



JERERY NUTTY. 95 

;< Now mine, whaur you do turn again 

" At varmer Veal's long yacker, 
" Clooase whaur Jan Lide, tha cobler, lives 

" Who makes tka best o' tacker ; 

"You mist turn short behine tha house 
" An goo right droo tha shord, 
" An than you'll pass a zummer lodge, 
" A builded by tha lord. 

" Tha turnpick than is jist belaw, 

" An Cock-hill strait avaur ye." 
Za Jerry doff'd his hat an bow'd, 

An thank' d er vor er storry. 

Bit moor o' this I need not za, 

Yor off went Jerry Nutty ; 
In his right hand a wakin stick, 

An in hiz qut a tutty. 

Bit I vorgot to za that Jer 

A zatchel wi' en took 
To hauld zum bird an cheese ta ate ;— 

Iz drink war o' tha brook. 

Za when a got upon Cock-hill 

Upon a linch a zawt ; 
The zun had climmer'd up tha sky ; 

A voun it very hot. 



96 POEMS. 

An, as iz stornick war za good, 

A made a horty meal ; 
An werry war wi' wakin, zaw 

A sleepid zoon did veel. 

That blessed power o' bamy sleep, 

Which anver ivery sense 
Da wi' wild whiverin whings extend 

A happy influence ; 

Now auver Jerry Nutty drow'd 

Er lissom mantle wide ; 
An down a drapp'd in zweetest zleep, 

Iz zatchel by iz zide. 

Not all tha nasty stouts could wake 

En vrom iz happy zleep, 
Nor emmets thick, nor vlies that buz, 

An on iz hons da creep. 

Naw dreams a had ; or nif a had 
Moo'ast pleasant dreams war tha : 

0' geese an goose-aggs, ducks and jitch ; 
Or Mally, vur awa, 

Zum gennelmen war dreavin by 

In a gilded cawch za ga ; 
Tha zeed en lyin down asleep ; 

Tha bid the cawchman sta. 



J EERY NUTTY. 

Tha ball'd tha hoop'd — a niver wak'd ; 

Naw liouzen there war handy ; 
Zed one o'm, a Xif you like, my bways, 
" We'll ha a little randy ! " 

" Jist put en zatly in tha cawch 
" An dreav en ta Bej water ; 

u An as we all can't g'in wi'n here, 
" I'll come mysel zoon ater." 

Twar done at once : vor norn o'm car'd 
A stra vor wine or weather ; 

Than gently rawl'cl the cawch along, 
As zat as any veather. 

Bit Jerry snaur'd za loud, tha naise 

Tha gennelmen did gaily ; 
Thad haf a mind ta turn en out ; 

A war dreamin o' his Mally ! 

It war the morkit da as rawl'd 
Tha cawch athin Bej water j 

Tha drauv up ta the Cro\vn-Inn door, 
Ther Ma-game man com'd ater. 

" Here Maester Water ! Lock-y-zee ! 

" A-ma-be you mid thenk 
Ci Thic mon a snauren in tha cawch 

" Is auvercome wi' drenk. 



n 



9 8 POEMS. 

" Bit 'tis not not jitchy theng we knaw ; 

" A is a cunjerin mon, 
" Yor on Cock-hill we vound en ly'd 

u Iz stick stif in his hon. 

" Iz vace war cover'd thick wi' vlies 

" An bloody stouts a plenty; 
" Nif he'd o pumple voob bezide, 
" An a bruinstick vor'n to zit ascride, 
" O' wizards a mid be thawt tha pride, 
" Amangst a kit o' twenty." 

" Lord zur ! an why d'ye bring en here 

" To gaily all tha people ? 
" Why zuggers ! nif we frunt en than, 

" He'll auver-dro tha steeple. 

" I bag ye, zur, to take en vooath ; 

" There ! how iz teeth da chatter ; 
" Lawk zur ! vor Christ — look there again ! 

" A'll witchify Bej water !" 

Tha gennelman stood by an smiled 

To zee tha bussle risin : 
Yor zoon, droo-out tha morkit wide 

Tha news wor gwon saprisin. 

An round about tha cawch tha dring'd — 

Tha countryman and townsman ; 
An young an awld, an man an maid — 
Wi' now an tan, an here an there, 
Amang tha crowd to gape an stare, 
A doctor and a gownsman. 



JERRY NUTTY. 

Jitch naise an bother wakid zoon 

Poor kormless Jerry Nutty, 
A look'd astunn'd ; — a cood'n speak ! 

An daver'd war iz tutty. 

A niver in liis life avaur 

'ad been athin Bej water ; 
A thawt, an if a war alive, 

That zumniet war tha matter. 

Tha houzen cling'd together zaw ! 

Tha gennelmen an ladies ! 
Tha blacksmith's, brazier's hammers too ! 

An smauk whanriver trade is. 

Bit how a com'd athin a cawch 

A war amaz'd at thenkin ; 
A thawt, vor sartin, a must be 

A auvercome wi' drenkin. 

Tha ax'cl en nif a'd please to g'out 

An ta tha yalhouse g'in ; 
Bit tha zo clooase about en dring'd 

A cood'n goo athin. 

Ta g'under 'em or g'auver 'em 
A try'd booath grate and small ; 

Bit g'under, g'auver, g'in, or g'out, 
A cood'n than at all. 

LofC. 



99 



1 00 POEMS. 

" Lord bless ye ! gennel-vawk !" zed lie, 
" I'm come to Glassenberry 

" To zee tha Torr an Hawly Thorn ; 
%t What makes ye look za merry T 

" Why mister wizard i dwontye knaw, 
" Theasetown is call'd Bej water ! 

Cried out a whipper-snapper man : 
Tha all bust out in laughter. 

il I be'nt a wizard, zur !" a zed ; 

" Bit I'm a little titch'd ;* 
" Or, witherwise, you mid well thenk 

I'm, zure anow, bewitch'd !" 

Thaw Jerry war, vor all tha wordle, 

Like very zel o' quiet, 
A veel'd iz blood ta bwile athin 

At j itchy zort o' riot ; 

Za out a jump'd amangst 'em all ! 

A made a desperd bussle ; 
Zurn hirn'd awa — zum made a ston ; 

Wi' zum a had a tussle. 

Iz stick now sard 'em justice good; 

It war a tough groun ash ; 
Upon ther heads a pla d awa, 

An round about did drash. 

* Touched. 



JEKRY NUTTY. 101 

Tha belg'd, tha raur d, tha scamper'd all. 

A zoon voun rum ta stooiy ; 
A thawt a'd be reYeng'd at once, 

Athout a judge or jury. 

An, thaw a brawk naw-body's bwons, 

A gid zum bloody nawzes ; 
Tha pirty maids war fainty too • 

Hirn'd vrom ther cheaks tha rawzes. 

Thinks he, me gennelmen ! when nex 

I goo to Glassenbery, 
Yea shant ha jitch a rig wi' I, 

Nor at my cost be merry. 

Zaw, havin clear' d izzel a wa. 

Right whim went Jerry Nutty ; 
A nourished roun iz wakin stick ; 

An Ylengd awa iz tutty. 



A LEGEND OF GLASTONBURY. 

[First Printed in " Graphic Illustrator, p. 124.] 

I cannot do better than introduce here " A Legend of Glas- 
tonbury" made up, not from books, but from oral tradition once 
very prevalent in and near Glastonbury, which had formerly one 
of the richest Abbeys in England ; the ruins are still attractive. 

Who hath not hir'cl o' Avalon ?* 
'Twar talked o' much an long agon, — 

* " The Isle of ancient Avelon." — Drayton. 



102 POEMS. 

Tha wonders o' tha Holy Thorn, 

Tha wich, zoon ater Christ war born, 

Here a planted war by Arimatke, 

Thic Joseph that com'd auver sea, 

An planted Kirstianity. 

Tha za that whun a landed vust, 

(Zich plazen war in God's own trust) 

A stuck iz staff into tha groun 

An auver iz shoulder lookin roun, 

Whatever mid iz lot bevall, 

A cried aloud " Now, weary dill" 

Tha staff het budded an het grew, 

An at Kirsmas bloom' d tha whol da droo. 

An still het blooms at Kirsmas bright, 

But best tha za at dork midnight, 

A pruf o' this nif pruf you will, 

Tz voun in tha name o' Weary -dll-hill ! 

Let tell Pumparles or lazy Brue. 

That what iz tauld iz vor sartin true ! 

[" The story of the Holy Thorn was a long time credited by 
the vulgar and credulous. There is a species of White Thorn which 
blossoms about Christmas ; it is well known to naturalists so as 
to excite no surprise."] 



103 



ME. GUY. 

The incident on which this story is founded, occurred in the 
early part of the last century ; hence the allusion to making a 
will before making a journey to the metropolis. 

Mr. Guy war a gennelman 

O' Huntspill, well knawn 
As a grazier, a hirch one, 

Wi' Ions o' hiz awn. 

A oten went ta Lunnun 

Hiz cattle vor ta zill ; 
All tlia horses that a rawd 

Niver minded badge or hill. 

A war afeard o' naw one ; 

A niver made hiz will, 
Like wither vawk, avaur a went 

His cattle vor ta zill. 

One time a'd bin ta Lunnun 

An zawld iz cattle well ; 
A brought awa a power o' gawld, 

As I've a hired tell. 

As late at night a rawd along 

All droo a nnket ood ; 
A ooman rawze vrom off tha groun 

An right avaur en stood : 



104 POEMS. 

She look'd za pitis Mr. Guy 

At once hiz Loss's pace 
Stapt short, a wonclerin how, at night, 

She com'd in j itch a place. 

A little trunk war in her hon ; 

She zini'd vur gwon wi' chile. 
She ax'd en nif a'd take her up 

And cor her a veo mile. 



Mr. Guy, a man o' veelin 

For a ooman in distress, 
Than took er up behind en : 

A cood'n do na less. 

A corr'd er trunk avaur en, 

An by hiz belt o' leather 
A bid er hawld vast ; on tha rawd, 

Athout much tak, together. 

Not vur tha went avaur she gid 

A whissle loud an long ; 
Which Mr. Guy, thawt very strange ; 

Er voice too zim'd za strong ! 

She'd lost er dog, she zed ; an than 

Another whissle blaw'd, 
That stortled Mr. Guy ■ — a stapt 

Hiz hoss upon tha rawd. 



MR. GUY. 10 1 

Goo on, zed she ; bit Mr. Guy 
Zuni riff begirni'd ta fear : 

Yor voices rawze upon tlia wine. 
An zini'cl a comin near. 

Again tha ravel along \ again 
She whissled. Mr. Guy 

WMpt out liiz knife an cut tha belt. 
Then push'd er off ! — Yor why \ 

Tha ooman he took up behine, 

Begummers, war a man ! 
Tha rubbers zaw acl lad ther plots 

Our grazier to trepan. 

I shall not stap ta tell what zed 

Tha man in o Oman's clawze ; 
Bit he, and all o'mjist behine, 

War what you mid suppavrze. 

Tha cost, tha swaur, tha dreaten'd too. 

An ater Mr. Guy 
Tha gallop' d all ; 'twar niver-tha-near : 

Hiz hoss along did vly. 

Auver downs, droo dales, awa a went. 

'Twar da- light now amawst, 
Till at an inn a stapt, at last, 

Ta thenk what he'd a lost. 



106 POEMS. 

A lost i — why, nothin — but hiz belt ! — 
A zummet moor ad gain'd : 

Thic little trunk a corr'cl awa — 
It gawld g'lore contain' d ! 

Nif Mr. Guy war hirch avaur, 
A now war hircher still : 

Tlia plunder o' tha higlrwamen 
Hiz coffers went ta vill. 

In safety Mr. Guy rawd whim ; 

A oten tawld tha storry. 
Ta meet wi' jitch a rig myzel 

I sliood'n, soce, be zorry. 



THE EOOKERY. 

The Rook, corvus frugilegus, is a bird of considerable intelli- 
gence, and is, besides, extremely useful in destroying large quan- 
tities of worms and larvae of destructive insects. It will, it is 
true, if not watched, pick out, after they are dibbled, both pease 
and beans from the holes with a precision truly astonishing :' a 
very moderate degree of care is, however, sufficient to prevent 
this evil, which is greatly overbalanced by the positive good which 
it effects in the destruction of insects. It is a remarkable fact, 
and not, perhaps, generally known, that this bird rarely roosts at 
the rookery, except for a few months during the period of incu- 
bation, and rearing its young. In the winter season it more com- 
monly takes nights of no ordinary length, to roost on the trees of 
some remote and sequestered wood. The Elm is its favorite, on 
which it usually builds ; but such is its attachment to locality 



TEE ROOKERY. 10' 

that since the incident alluded to in the following Poem took place 
the Rooks have, many of them, built in fir trees at a little distance 
from their former habitation. The habits of the Rook are well 
worthy the attention of all who delight in the study of Natural 
History. 

My zong is o' tha Rookery, 

Not jitcli as I a zeed 
On stunted trees wi' leaves a veo, 

A very veo indeed. 

In thic girt place tha Lunnun call ; — 

Tha Tower an tha Pork 
Ha booath a got a Rookery, 

Althaw tha han't a Lork. 

I zeng not o' jitcli Rookeries, 

Jitch plazen, pump or banners ; 
Bit town-berd Rooks, vor all that, ha, 

I warnt ye, carious manners. 

My zong is o' a Rookery 

My Father's cot bezide, 
Avaur, years ater, I war born 

'Twar long tha porish pride. 

Tha elms look'd up like giants tall 

Ther branchy yarms aspread ; 
An green plumes wavin wi' tha wine, 

Made ga each lofty head. 



108 POEMS. 

Ta dra tha pectur out — ther war 

At distance, zicl between 
Tha trees, a thatch' cl Form-house, an geese 

A cacklin on tha green. 

A river, too, cloo'ase by tha trees, 

Its stickle coose on slid, 
Whaur yells an trout an wither fish 
Mid otentinies be zid. 

Tha rooks voun this a pleasant place — 
A whim ther young ta rear ; 

An I a oten pleas'd a bin 
Ta watch 'em droo tha year. 

'Tis on tha da o' Valentine 

Or there or thereabout, 
Tha rooks da vtist begin ta build, 
An cawin, make a rout. 

Bit aw ! when May's a come, ta zee 
Ther young tha gunner's shut 

Yor spookt, an bin, as zum da za, 
(Naw readship in't I put) 

That nifthd did'n shut tha rooks 

Thad zoon desert tha trees ! 
Wise vawk ! Thic reason vor ther spoort 

Gee tha mid nif tha please ! 



THE EOOKEEY. 109 

Still zeng I o' tlia Rookery, 

Vor years it war tha pride 
Of all tha place, bit 'twor ta I 

A zumthin rnoor bezicle. 

A hired tha Rooks avaur I upp'd ; 

I hired 'em droo tha da j 
I hired ther young while gittin flush 

An ginnin jist ta ca. 

I hired 'em when my mother gid 

Er lessins kind ta I, 
In jitch a wa when I war young, 

That I war nt ta cry. 

I hired 'em at tha cottage door, 

When mornin, in tha spreng, 
Wak'd yooath in youth an beauty too, 

An birds begin n'd ta zeng. 

I hired 'em in tha winter-time 

AYhen, roust in yur awa, 
Tha yisited tha Rookery 

A whiyerin by da. 

My childhood, youth, and manood too, 

My Father's cot recall 
Thic Rookery. Bit I mist now 

Tell what it did bevall. 



110 POEMS. 

' Twar Ma-time — heavy wi' tha nests 

War laden all tha trees ; 
An to an fraw, wi 5 creekin loud, 

Tha sway'd ta iv'ry breeze. 

One night tha wine — a thundrin wine, 
Jitch as war hired o' niver, 

Blaw'd two o' thic girt giant trees 
Flat down into tha river. 

Nests, aggs, an young uns, all awa 
War zweept into tha water ; 

An zaw war sp wiled tha Rookery 
Vor iver and iver ater. 

I visited my Father's cot : 
Tha Rooks war all a gwon \ 

Whaur stood tha trees in lofty pride 
I zid there norra one. 



My Father's cot war desolate ; 

An all look'd wild, vorlorn ; 
Tha Ash war stunted that war zet 

Tha da that I war born. 

My Father, Mother, Books, all gwon ! 

My Charlotte an my Lizzy ! — 
Tha gorclen wi' tha tutties too ! — 

Jitch thawts why be za bizzy ! — 



THE ROOKERY. Ill 

Behawld tlia wa o' human tliengs ! 

Rooks, lofty trees, an Friends — 
A kill'd, taur up, like leaves drap off !— 

Zaw fearer' d bein ends. 



TOM GOOL, 

AND 

LUCK IX THA BAG. 

" Luck, Luck in tlia Bag ! Good Luck ! 

" Put in an try yer for tin ; 
" Come, try yer luck in tlia Lucky Bag ! 

" You'll git a prize vor s art in." 

Mooast plazen ha their customs 

Ther manners an ther men ; 
We too a got our customs, 

Our manners and our men. 

He who a bin ta Huntspill Fayer 
Or Highbrklge — Paw let Bevel — 

Or Burtle Sassions, whaur tlia pla 
Zumtimes tlia very devil, 

Mist mine once a man well 
That war a call'd T021 Gool ; 

Zum thawt en mazed, while withers thawt 
En moor a knave than fool. 



112 POEMS. 

At all tlia fayers an revels too 

Tom Gool war shower ta be, 
A takin vlother vast awa, — 

A hoopin who bit he. 

Vor'all that a had a zoort o' wit 

That zet tha vawk a laughin ; 
An niooast o' that, when he tha yal 

Ad at tha fayer bin quaffin. 

A corr'd a kit o' pedlar's waur, 

Like awld Joannah Martin;* 
An nif you han't a hired o' her, 

You zumtime sholl vor sartin. 

* This Lady, who was for many years known in Somerset- 
shire as an itinerant dealer in earthenware, rags, &c, and 
occasionally & fortune-teller, died a few years since at Huntspill, 
where she had resided for the greater part of a century. She 
was extremely illiterate, so much so, as not to be able to write, 
and, I think, could scarcely read. She lived for some years in 
a house belonging to my father, and while a boy, I was very 
often her gratuitous amanuensis, in writing letters for her to 
her children. She possessed, however, considerable shrewdness, 
energy, and perseverance, and amassed property to the amount 
of several hundred pounds. She had three husbands ; the 
name of the first was, I believe, Gool or Gould, a relation of 
Thomas Gool, the subject of the above Poem ; the name of the 
second was Martin, of the third Pain ; but as the last lived a 
short time only after having married her, she always continued 
to be called Joannah Martin. 

Joannah was first brought into public notice by the Eev. 
Mr. Warner, in his Walks through the Western Counties, 
published in 1800, in which work will be found a lively and 
interesting description of her ; but she often said that she 
should wish me to write her life, as I was, of course, more 



T03I GOOL. 113 

(i Luck, Luck in fcha Bag !" Tom, cried 

" Put in and try yer for tin ; 
" Come try yer luck in tka lucky bag ; 

" You'll git a prize vor sartin. 

te All prizes, norra blank, 

" Norra blank, all prizes ! 
" A waiter — knife — or scissis sheer — - 
u A splat o' pins — put in my dear ! — 

u Whitechapel nills all sizes. 

" Luck, Luck in t-ha Bag ! — only a penny vor a 
venter — you mid get, a-ma-be, a girt prize — a Rawman 
waiter I — I can avoord it as cheep as thic that stawl it 
■ — I a bote it ta trust, an niver intend to pa vor't. 
Luck, Luck in tha bag ! all prizes; norra blank ! 

intimately acquainted with it than any casual inquirer could 
possibly be. An additional notice of Joannah was inserted by 
me in the Monthly Magazine, for ]$ov. 1816, page 310. I had 
among my papers, the original song composed by her, which I 
copied from her dictation many years ago, — the only, copy in 
existence ; I regret that I cannot lay my hand upon it ; 
as it- contains much of the Somersetshire idiom. I havt 
more than once heard her sing this song, which was satirical, 
and related to the conduct of a female, one of her neighbours, 
who had become a thief. 

Such was Joaxnah Martin, a woman whose name (had 
she moved in a sphere where her original talents coidd have 
been improved by education,) might have been added to the 
list of distinguished female worthies of our country. 

[The MS. song was never, that I am aware of, discovered 
after my relative's death. — Editor, J. K. J.] 

I 



114 POEMS. 

" Luck, Luck in tha Bag ! Good Luck ! 

" Put in an try yer fortin ; 
" Come, try yer luck in tha lucky bag ! 

" You'll git a prize vor sartin. 

" Come, niver mine tha single-sticks, 

"Tha whoppin or tha stickler, 
" You cl won't want now a brawken head, 

" Nor jitchy zoort o' tickler ! 

" Now Lady ! yer prize is — ' a Snuff-Box,' 

"A treble-japann'd Pontypool ! 
" You'll shower come again ta my luck in tha bag, 

" Or niver trust me — Tommy Gool. 

" Luck, Luck in tha bag ! Good Luck ! 

" Put in an try yer fortin ; 
" Come, try yer luck in tha lucky bag ! 

" You'll git a prize for sartin ! 



115 



TEDDY BAND. 

" The short and simple annals ot the poor. " 

Gray. 

Miss Hanson to Miss Mortimer, Askcot, July 21st. 
My Dear Jane, 

Will you do me the favour to amuse yourself 
and your friends with the enclosed epistle % it is cer- 
tainly an original — written in the dialect of the County. 
You will easily understand it, and. I do not doubt, the 
" moril " too. 

Edward Band, or as he is more commonly called 
here, Teddy Band, is a poor, but honest and industrious 
cottager, but I am, nevertheless, disposed to think that 
" if ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." 

My dear Jane, affectionately yours, 

Maria Hanson. 



Teddy Band to Miss Hanson. 



Mam, 



I da thenk you'll smile at theeazam here veo 
lains that I write ta you, bin I be naw scholard ; vor 
vather coud'n avoorcl ta put I ta school. Bit nif 



116 POEMS. 

you'll vorgee me vor my baulclniss, a-raa-be, I mid 
not be afearcl ta za zummet ta you that you, mam your- 
zell mid like ta hire. Bit how be I ta knaw that ? I 
knaw that you be a goodhorted Lady, an da like ta 
zee poor vawk well-af>eased an happy. You axt t 
totlier da ta zing a zong : now I dwont much like zum 
o' tha zongs that I hired thic night at squire Beevs's 
when we made an end o' Ha-corrin : vor, zim ta I, 
there war naw moril to 'em. I like zongs wi' a moril 
to 'em. Tha nawtes, ta be shower, war zat anow, bit, 
vor all that, I war looking vor tha moril, mam. Zo, 
when I cum'd whim, I tawlcl our Pall, that you axt I 
ta zing : an I war zorry aterward that I did'n, bin you 
be always zo desperd good ta poor vowk. Bit I thawt, 
a-ma-be, you mid be angry wi' my country lidden. 
Why Teddy, zed Pall, dwont ye zend Miss Hanson thic 
zong which ye made yerzel ; I thenk ther is a moril in 
thic. An zo, mam, nif you please, I a zent tha zong. 
I haup you'll vorgee me. 

Mam, your humble sarvant, 

Teddy Band, 



ZONG. 



I have a cot o' Cob- wall 
Boun which tha ivy dims ; 

My Pally at tha night-vall 
Er crappin vier trims. 



TEDDY BAND. 117 

A coram vrom tlia plow-veel 

I zee tlia blankers rise, 
Wi 3 blue smauk cloudy curlin, 
An whivering up tlia skies. 

When tha winter wines be crousty, 
An snaws dreav vast along;, 

I hurry whim — tlia door tine. 
An cheer er wi' a zong. 

When spreng, adresst in tatties. 

Calls all tlia birds abroad ; 
An wrans an robin-ricldicks, 
Tell all the cares o' God. 

I zit bezides ray cot-door 

After my work is clone, 
While Pally, bizzy knittin, 

Looks at tlia zettin zun. 

"When zuniiiiertiaie is passim 

An harras das be vine, 
I drenk tha sporklin cider, 
An wish naw wither wine. 

How zweet tha smill o 3 clawver, 

How zweet tha smill o' ha ; 
How zweet is haulsom labour, 
Bit zweeter Pall than tha. 



118 POEMS. 

An who d'ye thenk I envy 1 — 
Tha nawbles o' tlia land 1 

Tha can't be moor than happy, 
An that is Teddy Band. 



Mister Ginnins ; 

I a red thic ballet o' yourn called Fanny Fear, 
an, zim ta I, there's naw moril to it. Nif zaw be you 
da thenk zo well o't, I'll gee one. 

I dwont want to frunt any ov the gennelmen o' tha 
country, bit I always a thawt it desperd odd, that dogs 
should be keept in a kannel, and keept a hungered too, 
zaw that tha mid be moor eager to hunt thic poor little 
theng called a hare. I dwon' naw, bit I da thenk, nif 
I war a gennelman, that I'd vine better spoort than 
huntin ; bezides, zim ta I 'tis desperd wicked to hunt 
animals vor one's spoort. Now, jitch a horrid blanscue 
as what happened at Shapick, niver could a bin but vor 
tha hungry houns. I haup that gennelmen ool thenk 
o't oten ; an when tha da hire tha yell o' tha houns 
thall not vorgit Fanny Fear ; a-ma-be tha mid be 
zummet tha wiser an better vor't ; I'm shower jitch a 
storry desarves ta be remimbered. This is the moril. 

I am, sur, your saxvant,, 

Teddy Band. 



119 



THE CHURCHWARDEN. 

Upoin t a time, naw matter whaur, 
Jitcli plazen there be many a scaur 

In Zummerzet's girt gorclen ; 
(Ive liir'cl 'twar handy ta tha zea, 
Not viir vrom whaur tha zantots be) 

There liv'd a young churchwarden. 

A zini'd delighted when put in. 
An zaw a thawt a ood begin 

Ta do hiz office duly : 
Bit zum o'm, girt vawk in ther wa — 

Tha Porish o'ten called, — a girt bell sheep 

Or two that lead the rest an quiet keep — 
Put vooath ther hons iz coose to sta, 

Which made en quite unruly. 

A went, of coose, ta Visitation 

Ta be sworn in ; — an than 'twar nation 

Hord that a man his power should doubt, — 

An moor — ta try ta turn en out ! 

"Naw, Naw ! " exclaim'd our young churchwarden, 

" I dwon't care vor ye all a copper varden ! " 

Tha church war durty. — We vets here 
Hang'd danglin vrom tha ruf ; an there 
Tha plaisterin shaw'd a crazy wall ; 



120 POEMS. 

Tha altar-piece war dim and dowsty too, 

That Peter's maricle tha scase cood view. 

Tha Ten Commandments nawbody cood rade ;* 

Tha Lord's Prayer ad nuthin in't bit " Brade \ "i 

Nor had tha Creed 
A lain or letter parfit, grate or small. 
'Twar time vor zum one ta renew 'em all. 

I've tawld o' wevets — zum o'm odd enow ; 
Tha look'd tha colour of a dork dun cow, 

An like a skin war stratched across tha corners ; 
Tha knitters o' tha porish tak'd o knittin 
Stockins wi' 'em ! — Bit aw, how unbevittin 

All tak like this ! — aw fie, tha wicked scorners ! 

Ta work went tha Churchwarden ; wevets tummel'd 
Down by tha bushel, an tha pride o' dowst war 
hummer d. 

Tha walls once moor look'd bright. 
Tha Painter, fags, a war a Plummer 

An Glazier too, 

Put vooath his powers, 
(His workin made naw little scummer !) 
In zentences, in nourishes, and flowers. 
Tha chance], church and all look'd new, 

An war well suited to avoord delight. 

Tha Ten Commandments glitter'd wi' tha vornish; 
Compleat now, tha Lord's Prayer, what cood tornish. 

* Read + Bread 



THE CHURCHWARDEN. 121 

As vor tha Creed 'twar made bran new 

Vroni top ta bottom ; I tell ye true ! 

Tha altar piece wi 5 Peter war now naw libel 

Upon tha church, 
Which booath athin an, tower an all, athout 
Look'd like a well-dressed maid in pride about : 
Tha walls rejaic'd wi' texts took vroni tha Bible. 

Bit vor all that, tha left en in tha lurch ; 
I bag your pardon. 
I mean, of all tha expense tha ood 'n pa a varden. 

.Jitch zweepin, birshin, paintin, scrubbin ; 
Tha tuts ad niver jitch a drubbin \ 

Jitch white-washin and jitch brought gwain 
A power of money. — Tha Painter's bill 
Made of itzel a pirty pill, 

Ta zwell which all o'ni tried in vain ! 
Ther stomicks turn'd, ther drawts were norry ; * 
Jitch gillded pills tha cood'n cony. 
An when our young churchwarden ax'd em why, 
Tha laugh' d at en, an zed, ther drawts war dry. 

Tha keeper o' tha church war wrong ; 
(Churchwarden still the burden o' my zong) 

A should at vust 
A call'd a Yestry : vor 'tis hord ta trust 

To Porish generasity ; an zaw 

A voun it : I dwom knaw 

* Narrow. 



122 POEMS. 

Whaur or who war his advisers ; 

Zum zed a Layer gid en bad advice ; 

A -ma-be saw ; jitch vawk ben' t always nice. 
Layers o' advice be seltimes misers 

Nif there's wherewi' ta pa ; 
Or, witherwise, good bwye ta Layers an tha La. 



A Vestry than at last war cried — 

A Vestry's power let noane deride — 

When tha church war auver tha clork bal'd out, 

Aw eese ! aw eese I aiv eese ! 
All wonder'd what cood be about, 

An stratch'd ther necks like a vlock o' geese 

Why — ta make a Rate 

Vor tha church's late 
Repairdtion. 
A grate noration, 
A nation naise tha nawtice made, 
About tha cost ta be defray' d 

Vor tha church's repairdtion. 



&^ 



Tha Vestry met, all naise an bother ; 
One ood'n wait ta hire tha tuther. 
When tha war tir'd o' jitch a gabble, 
Ta bal na moor not one war yable, 
A man, a little zatenfare, 
Got up hiz verdi ta delcare. 
Now Soce, zed he, why we be gwain 
Ta meet in Vestry here in vain. 



THE CHURCHWARDEN. 123 

Let's come to some determination, 

An not tak all in jitch a fashion. 

Let's zee tlia 'counts. A snatch' d tha book 

Vroni tha Churchwarden in't ta look. 

Tha booh war chain d clooase to his wrist ; 

A gid en slily jitch a twist ! 

That the young Churchwarden loud raur'd out. 

"You'll break my yarni ! — what be about ?" 

Tha man a little zatenfare, 

An all tha Vestry wide did stare ! 

Bit Soce, zed he again, I niver zeed 

Money brought gwain zaw bad. What need 

War ther tha altar-piece ta titch 1 

What good war paintin, rornishin, an jitch 1 

What good war't vor'n ta mend 

Tha Ten Commandments 1 — Why did he 

Mell o' tha Lord's Prayer 1 Lockyzee ! 

Ther war naw need 
To mell or make wi' thic awld Creed. 
I'm zorry vor'n ; eesse zorry as a friend ; 
Bit can't conzent our wdierewi' zaw ta spend. 

Tha all, wi one accord, 

At tha little zatenfare's word, 

Agreed, that, not one varden, 
By Rate, 
Should be collected vor tha late 
Bepairation 
Of tha church by tha young Churchwarden. 



124 
THE FISHERMAN 

AXD 

THE PLAYERS. 

Now who is tlier that han't a hir'd 

O' one young Tom Came ? 
A Fisherman of Hunt spill, 

An a well-knawn name. 

A knaw'd much moor o' fishin 

Than many vawk bezides ; 
An a knaw'd much moor than mooast about 

Tha zea an all tha tides. 

A knaw'd well how ta make buts, 

An bullies too an jitch, 
An up an down tha river whaur 

Tha best place vor ta pitch. 

A knaw'd all about tha stake-hangs 

Tha zalmon vor ta catch; — 
Tha pitchin an tha dippin net, — 

Tha Slime an tha Mud-Batch.'" 

* Two islands well known in the River Parret, near its mouth. 
Several words will be found in this Poem which I have not 
placed in the Glossary ', because they seem too local and technical 
to deserve a place there : they shall be here expl ainecl, 



THE FISHERMAN AXD THE PLAYERS, 125 

A handled too iz gads well 

His paddle and iz oor ;* 
A war always bawld an fearless— 

A, when upon tha G-oor.t 

O' heerins, sprats, an porpuses — ■ 

0' all fish a eood tell * 
"Who bit he amangst tha Fishermen— 

A always "beard tha bell. 

Tommy Came ad hired o' Players, 

Bit niver zeed 'em pla ; 
Tha war actin at Bej water ; 

There a went wi' Sally Da. 

To Pitch, v. n. To fish with a boat and a pitchin-net in a pro- 
per position across the current so that the fish may be caught. 

Pitchin-net. s. A large triangular net attached to two poles, 
and used with a boat for the purpose, chiefly, of catching salmon. 
— The fishing boats in the Parret, are flat-bottomed, in length 
about seventeen feet, about four feet and a half wide, and poin- 
ted at both ends : the are easily managed by one person, and 
rarely, if ever, known to overturn. 

Dippen-net. s. A small net somewhat semicircular, and attached 
to two round sticks for sides, and a long pole for a handle, It is 
used for the purpose of dipping salmon and some other fish, as 
the shad, out of water. 

Gad. s. A long pole, having an iron point to it, so that it may 
be easily thrust into the ground. Two gads are used for each 
boats. Their uses are to keep the boat steady across the current 
in order that the net may be in a proper position 

* Oar. 

+ The Gore. Dangerous sands so called, at the mouth of the 
River Parret, in the Bristol Channel. 



126 POEMS. 

When tlia curtain first draw'd up, than 
Sapriz'd war Tommy Came ; 

A'd haf a mine ta hirn awa, 
Bit stapp'd vor very shame. 

Tha vust act bein auver 

Tha zecond jist begun, 
Tommy Came still wonder' d grately, 

Ta him it war naw fun. 

Zaw ater lookin on zumtime, 
Ta understond did strive ; 

There now, zed he, Til gee my ivoihr 
That thd be dll alive ! 



MAKY RAMSEY'S CEUTCH. 

I zeng o' Mary Ramsey s Crutch ! 
" Thic little theng !"— Why 'tis'n much 
It's true, but still I like ta touch 
Tha cap o' Mary Ramsey's Crutch ! 
She zed, wheniver she shood die, 
Er little crutch she'd gee ta I. 
Did Mary love me ? eese a b'leeve. 
She died — a veo vor her did grieve, — 
An but a veo — vor Mary awld, 

* Oath. 



mary ramsey's crutch. 127 

Outliv'd er friends, or voun 'em cawld. 
Tliic crutch. I had — I ha it still, 
An port wi't wont — nor niver will. 
0' her I lorn'cl tha oris -cross-lain ; 
I haup that 'tword'n quite in vain ! 
'Twar her who teach' d nie vust ta read 
Jitch little words as beef an bread ; 
An I da thenk 'twar her that, afcer, 
Lorn'd I ta read tha single zater. 
Poor Mary oten used ta tell 
O' das a past that pleas'd er well ; 
An mangst tha rest war zum o' jay 
Yv^hen I look'd up a little bway. 
She zed I war a good one too, 
An lorn'd my book athout tha rue* 
Poor Mary's gwon ! — a longful time 
Zunz now ! — er little scholarcl's prime 
A-oia-be's past. — It must be zaw ; — 
There's nothin stable here belaw ! 
0' Mary — all left is — er crutch I 
An thaw a gift, an 'tword'n much 
'Tis true, still I da like ta touch 
Tha cap o' Mary Ramsey s Crutch I 
That I lov'd Mary, this ool tell. 
I'll za na moor — zaw, fore well !f 

* This Lady, when her scholars neglected their duty, or 
behaved ill, rubbed their fingers with the leaves of rue ! 
f Fare ye well. 



128 



HANNAH VEEHIOE. 

Tha za I'm maz'd, — my Husband's dead. 

My chile, (hush ! hush ! Lord love er face !) 

Tha pit-hawl had at Milemas, when 
Tha put me in theaze pooat-hawl place. 

Tha za I'm maz'd. — I veel — I thenk — 
I tak — I ate, an oten drenk. — 
Tha thenk, a-ma-be, zumtimes, veel — 
An gee me stra vor bed an peel ! 

Tha za Pm maz'd.— Hush ! Babby, dear ! 
Tha shan't come to er ! — niver fear ! 
Tha za thy Father's dead ! — Naw, naw ! 
A'll niver die while I'm belaw. 

Tha za I'm maz'd. — "Why dwont you speak % 
Fie James ! — or else my hort ool break ! — 
James is not dead ! nor Babby ! — naw ! 
Tha'll niver die while I'm belaw ! 



K.^'^v?..*-.- 



129 



REMEMBRANCE. 

An shall I drap tha Reed — an shall I, 
Athout one nawte about my Sally 1 
Althaw we Pawets all be zingers, 
We like, wi' enk, ta dye our vingers ; 
Bit mooast we like in vess ta pruv 
That we remimber those we love. 
Sim-like-it than, that I should iver 
Yorgit my Sally. — Niver, niver ! 
Yor, while I've wander'd in tha West — 
At mornin tide — at evenin rest — 
On Quantock's hills — in Mendip's vales — 
On Parret's banks — in zight o' Wales — 
In thic awld mansion whaur tha ball 
Once vrighten'd Lady Drake an all ; — 
When wi' tha Ladies o' thic dell 
Whaur witches spird ther 'ticin spell — * 
Amangst tha rocks on Watch et shaur 
When did tha wine an waters raur — 
In Banwell's cave— on Loxton hill — 
At Clifton ga — at Rickford rill — 
In Compton ood — in Hartree coom — 
At Crispin's cot wi' little room ; — 

* Combe Sydenham, the residence of my Friend, George 
Xotley, Esq. The history of the Magic Ball, as it has been 
called, is now pretty generally known, and therefore need not 
be here repeated. 

K 



130 POEMS. 

At Upton — Lansdown's lofty brow — 

At Bath, whaur pleasure flants enow ; 

At Trowbridge, whaur by Friendship's heed, 

I blaw'd again my silent Heed, 

An there enjay'd, wi' quiet, rest, 

Jitch recollections o' tha West ; 

Whauriver stapp'd my voot along 

I thawt o y Her. — Here ends my zong. 



DOCTOR COX; A BLANSCUE. 

(First printed in the Graphic Illustrator.) 

The catastrophe described in the following sketch, 
occurred near Highbridge, in Somersetshire, about 
the year 1779. — Mr. or Doctor Cox, as surgeons are 
usually called iu the west, was the only medical resi- 
dent at Huntspill, and in actual practice for many 
miles around that village. The conduct of Mr. Robert 
Evans, the friend and associate of Cox, can- only be 
accounted for by one of those unfortunate infatu- 
ations to which the minds of some are sometimes 
liable. Had an immediate alarm been given when we 
children first discovered that Cox was missing, he 
might, probably, have been saved. The real cause 
of his death was, a too great abstraction of heat from 



DOCTOR COX. 131 

the body ; as the water was fresh and still, and of con- 
siderable depth, and, under the surface, much beneath 
the usual temperature of the human body. This fact 
ought to be a lesson to those who bathe in still and 
deep fresh water ; and to warn them to continue only 
a short time in such a cold medium. * 

The Brue war bright, and deep and clear :t 

And Lammas da and harras near : 

The zun upon the waters clrode 

Girt sheets of light as on a rode ; 

From zultry heat the cattle hirn'd 

To shade or water as to firnd : 

Men, too, in yarly aternoon 

Doft'd quick ther cloaths and dash'd in zoon 

* Various efforts to restore the suspended animation of Cox, 
such as shaking him, rolling him on a cask, attempts to get out 
the water which it was then presumed had got into the stomach 
or the lungs, or both, in the drowning ; strewing salt over the 
body, and many other equally ineffectual and improper methods 
to restore the circulation were, I believe, pursued. Instead of 
which, had the body been laid in a natural position, and the lost 
heat gradually administered, by the application of warm frictions , 
a warm bed, &c, how easily in all probability, would animation 
have been restored ! 

f The reader must not suppose that the river Brue, is generally 
a clear stream, or always rapid. I have elsewhere called it " lazy 
Brue." It is sometimes, at and above the floodgates at High- 
bridge, when they are not closed by the tide, a rapid stream ; but 
through the moors, generally, its course is slow. In the summer- 
time, and at the period to which allusion is made, the floodgates 
were closed. 



132 POEMS. 

To thic deep river, whaur the trout, 
Tn all ther prankin, plad about \ 
And yels wi' zilver skins war zid, 
While gudgeons droo the water slid, 
Wi' carp sumtimes and wither fish 
Avoordon many a dainty dish. 
Whaur elvers* too in spring time plad, 
And pailvuls mid o' them be had. 
The water cold — the zunshine bright, 
To zwimmers than what high delight ! 
'Tis long agwon whun youth and I 
Wish'd creepin Time would rise and vly — 
A, half a hundred years an moor 
Zunz I a trod theaze earthly vloor ! 
I zed, the face o' Brue war bright ; 
Time smil'd too in thic zummer light. 
Wi' Hope bezide en promising 
A wordle o' fancies wild o' whing. 
I mine too than one lowering cloud 
That zim'd to wrop us like a shroud ; 
The death het war o' Doctor Cox — 
To thenk o't now the storry shocks ! 
Yor all the country vur and near 
Shod than vor'n many a horty tear. 

* Young eels are called elvers in Somersetshire. Walton, in his 
Angler, says, " Young eels, in the Severn, are called yelvers.' 1 
In what part of the country through which the Severn passes 
they are called yelvers we are not told in Walton's book ; as eels 
are called, in Somersetshere, yels, analogy seems to require yelvers 
for their young ; but I never heard them so called. The elvers 
used to be obtained from the salt-water side of the bridge. 



DOCTOR COX. 133 

The Doctor like a duck could zwim ; 
No fear o' drownin daver'd him ! 
The pectur now I zim I zee ! 
I wish I could het's likeness gee ! 
His Son, my brother John, myzd, 
Or Evans, mid the stony tell ; 
But tha be gwon and I, o' all 
O'm left to za what did bevalL 
Zo, nif zo be you like, why I 
To tell the stony now ool try. 

Thic Evans had a coward core 
And fear'd to venter vrom the shore; 
While to an vro, an vur an near, 
And now an tan did Cox appear 
In dalliance with the waters bland, 
Or zwimmin wi' a maester hand. 
We youngsters dree, the youngest I, 
To zee the zwimmers all stood by 
Upon the green bonk o' the Brue 
Jist whaur a stook let water droo : 
A quiet time of joyousness 
Zim'd vor a space thic da to bless ! 
A dog' too, faithful to his maester 
War there, and mang'd wi' the disaster — 
Vigo, ah well I mine his name ! 
A Newvoun-lond and very tame ! 
But Evans only war to blame : 
He alles paddled near the shore 
Wi 5 timid hon and coward core ; 



1 34 POEMS. 

While Doctor Cox div'd, zwim'd at ease 

Like fishes in the zummer seas ; 

Or as the skaiters on the ice 

In winin circles wild and nice 

Yet in a moment he war o-won, 

The wonderment of ivry one : 

That is, we dree and Evans, all 

That zeed what Blanscue did bevall. — 

Athout one sign, or naise, or cry, 

Or shriek, or splash, or groan, or sigh ! 

Could zitch a zwimmer ever die 

In water 1 — Yet we gaz'd in vain 

Upon thic bright and water plain : 

All smooth and calm — no ripple gave 

One token of the zwiuimer's grave ! 

We hir'd en not, we zeed en not ! — 

The glassy water ziro/d a blot ? 

While Evans, he of coward core, 

Still paddled as he did bevore ! 

At length our fears our silence broke, — 

Young as we war, and children all, 

We wish'd to goo an zum one call ; 

But Evans carelissly thus spoke — 

" Oh, Cox is up the river gone, 

Vor sartain ool be back anon ; — 

He talk'd o' cyder, zed he'd g'up 

To Stole's* an drenk a horty cup !" 

* Mr. Stole resided near Newbridge, about a mile from the 
spot where the accident occurred ; he was somewhat famous for 
his cyder. • 



DOCTOR COX. 135 

Conjecture anty as the wine ! 

And zoon did lie het's faleshood vine. 

John Cox took up his father's cloaths — 
Poor fellow ! he beginn'd to cry ! 
Than, Evans vrom the water rose ; 
w A hunderd vawk'll come binieby," 
A zed ; whim, short way vrom the shore. 
We zeed, what zeed we not avore, 
The head of Doctor Cox appear — 
Het floated in the water clear ! 
Bolt upright war he, and his hair, 
That pruv'd he sartainly war there, 
Zwimm'd on the water ! — Evans than, 
The stupid'st of a stupid man, 
Call'd Vigo — pointed to that head — 
In Vigo dash'd — Cox teas not dead ! 
But seiz'd the dog's lag— helt en vast ! 
One struggle, an het war the last ! 
Ah ! well do I remember it — 
That struggle I sholl ne'er forgit ! 
Vigo was frightened and withdrew ; 
The body zink'd at once vrom view. 

Did Evans, gallid Evans then, 
Call out ; at once, vor father's men ? 
(Tka war at work vor'n very near 
A mendin the old Highbridge pier,) 
A did'n call, but 'nius'd our fear — 
" A hundred vawk ool zoon be here !" 
A zed. — We gid the hue and cry ! 
And zoon a booat wi' men did vlv ! 



136 POEMS. 

But twar all auver ! Cox war voim 
Not at the bottom lyin down, 
But up aneen, as jist avore 
We zeed en floatin nigh the shore. 

But death 'ad done his wust — not all 
Tha, did could life's last spork recall. 

Zo Doctur Cox went out o' life 
A vine, a, and as honsoni mon, 
As zun hath iver shin'd upon ; 
A left a family — a wife, 

Two sons — one ddter, 
As beautiful as lovely Ma, 

Of whom a-ma-bi I mid za 
Zumthin hereater : 
What tha veel'd now I sholl not tell— 
My hort athin me 'gins to zwell ! 
Reflection here mid try in vain, 
Wither particulars to gain, 
Evans zim'd all like one possest ; 
Imagination ! tell the rest ! 

L'ENVOY. 

To all that sholl theeaze storry read, 
The Truth must vor it chiefly plead ; 
I gee not here a tale o' ort, 
Nor snip-snap wit, nor lidden smort. 
But oten, ofcen by thic river, 
Have I a pass'd ; yet niver, niver, 
Athout a thought o' Doctor Cox — 



A DEDICATION. 137 

His dog — his death — his noatin locks ! 
The mooast whun Brae war deep and clear, 
And Lammas da an harras near ; — 
"Whun zummer vleng'd his light abroad, — 
The zun in all his glory rawd ; 
How beautiful mid be the da 
A zumthin alles zim'd to za, 
" Whar whing ! the wdter's deep an clear , 
But death mid he a lurkin near /" 



A DEDICATION. 

Thenk not, bin I ood be tha fashion, 
That I, Zik, write theaze Dedication ; 
I write, I haup I d won't offend. 
Bin I be proud ta call You Friend. 
I here ston vooath, alooan unbidden 
To 'muse you wi' my country lidden ;— 
Wi' remlet's o' tha Saxon tongue 
That to our Gramfers did belong. 
Yor all it is a little thing, 
Receave it — Friendship's offering — 
Ta pruv, if pruf I need renew, 
That I esteem not lightly You. 



138 POEMS. 



THE FAREWELL. 

A longful time zunz I this vust begun ! 
One little tootin moor and I a done. 
" One little tootin moor ! — Enough, 
" Vor once, we've had o' j itchy stuff; 
" Thy lidden to a done 'tis time ! 
" Jitch words war niver zeed in rhyme ! " 
Vorgee me vor m. — Goo little Reed ! 
Aforn tha vawk an vor me plead : 
Thy wild nawtes, ma-be, tha ool hire 
Zooner than zater vrom a lyre. 
Za that, thy molester's pleas d ta blaw 'em, 
An hemps in time tha 11 come ta knaw 'em ; 
An nifzaw be thd '11 please ta hear 
A '11 gee zum moor another year. 
Ive nothin else jist now ta tell : 
Goo, little Reed, an than forwel ! 



139 



FARMER BENNET AN JAN LIDE, 
A DIALOGUE. 



Farmer Bennet. — -Jan ! why dwon't ye right my 
shoes 1 

Jan Lide. — Bin. maester 'tis zaw cawld, I can't 
work wi' tha tacker at all ; I've a brawk it ten times 
I'm shower ta da — da vreaze za Lord. Why Hester 
hanged out a kittle-smock ta drowy, an in dree minits 
a war a vraur as stiff as a pawker ; an I can't avoord 
ta keep a good vier — I wish I cood — I'd zoon right 
your shoes and withers too — I'd zoon yarn'" zum money, 
I warnt ye. Can't ye vine zum work vor me, maester, 
theaze hord times — I'll do any theng ta sar a penny. — 
I can drash — I can cleave brans — I can make spars — 
I can thatchy — I can shear ditch, an I can gripy too, 
bit da vreaze za hord. I can wimmy — I can messy or 
milky nif ther be need o't. I ood'n mine dreavin 
plough or any theng. 

Farmer Bennet. — I've a got nothing vor ye ta do, 
Jan ; bit Mister Boord banehond ta I jist now that 
tha war gwain ta wimmy, ond that tha wanted zum- 
bocly ta help 'em. 

* Earn. 



140 DIALOGUES. 

Jan Lide.—A.w, I'm glad o't, I'll hirn auver an 
zee where I can't help 'em ; bit I han't a bin athin tha 
drashel o' Maester Boord's door vor a longful time, bin 
I thawt that missis did'n use Hester well \ but I d won't 
bear malice, an zaw I'll goo. 

Farmer Bennet. — What did Missis Boord za or 
do ta Hester, than ? 

Jan Lide. — Why, Hester, a- ma-be, war zummet 
ta blame too : vor she war one o'm, d'ye zee, that rawd 
Skimmerton — thic ma game that frunted zum o' tha 
gennel-vawk. Tha zed 'twar time to a done wi'jitch 
litter, or jitch stuff, or I dwon knaw what tha call'd it; 
bit tha war a frunted wi' Hester about it : an I zed nif 
tha war a frunted wi' Hester, tha mid be frunted wi' I. 
This zet missis's back up, an Hester han't a bin a choorin 
there zunz. Bit 'tis niver-the-near ta bear malice ; and 
zaw I'll goo auver an zee which wa tha wine da blaw. 



THOMAS CAME 

AX 

YOUNG MAESTER JIMMY. 

Thomas Came. — Aw, Maester Jimmy ! zaw you be 
a come whim vrom school. I thawt we shood niver 
zee na moor. We've a mist ye iver zunz thic time, when 



THOMAS CAME. 141 

we war at zea-wall, an cut aup tha girt porpus wi' za 
many zalmon in liiz belly — zum o'ni look'd vit ta eat 
as thaw tha wor a b wiled, did'n tha i — 

Jimmy. — Aw eese, Thomas \ I da mine tha porpus; 
an I da mine tha udder, an tha milk o'n, too. I be a 
come whim, Thomas, an I dwon't thenk I shall goo ta 
school again theaze zummer. I shall be out amangst 
ye. I'll goo wi' ta mawy, an ta ha-makin, anta reapy 
- — I'll come ater, an zet up tha stitches vor ye, Thomas. 
An if I da sta till Milemas, I'll goo ta Matthews fayer 
wi'. Thomas, ave ye had any zenvy theaze year? — 
I zeed a gir'd'l o't amangst tha wheat as I rawd along. 
Ave you bin down in ham, Thomas, o' late — is thic 
groun, tha ten yacres, haind vor ma win ? 

Thomas Came. — Aw, Maester Jimmy ! I da love ta 
hire you tak — da zeem za naatal. We a had zum zenvy 
— an tha ten yacres be a haind — a'll be maw'd in veo 
das — you'll come an ha-maky, o'nt ye ? — eese, I knaw 
you ool — an I da knaw whool goo a ha-makin wi', too 
— ah, she's a zweet maid — I dwon't wonder at 
ye at all, Maester Jimmy — Lord bless ye, an love ye 
booath. 

Jimmy. — Thomas, you a liv'd along time wi' Father, 
an' I dwont like ta chide ye, bit nif you da tak o' Miss 
Cox in thic fashion, I knaw she on't like it, naw moor 
sholl I. Miss Cox, Thomas, Miss Cox ool, a-ma-be, goo 
a ha-makin wi' I, as she a done avaur now ; bit Sally, 
Miss Cox, Thomas, I wish you'd za naw moor about er. 
— There now, Thomas, dwon't ye zee — why shee's by 
tha gate-shord ! I haup she han't a hird what we a bin 
atakin about.- — Be tha thissles sheer' d in tha twenty 



142 DIALOGUES. 

yacres, Thomas ? — aw, tha be. Well, I sholl be glad 
when tha ten y acres be a mawed — an when we da make 
an end o' ha-corrin, I'll dance wi' Sally Cox. 

Thomas Came. — There, Maester Jimmy! 'tword'n I 
that tak'd o' Sally Cox ! 



MARY RAMSEY, 

A MONOLOGUE, 
To er Scholar ds. 

Commether* Billy Chubb, an breng tha hornen book. 
Gee me tha vester in tha winclor, you Peel Came ! — 
what ! be a sleepid — I'll wake ye. Now, Billy, there's 
a good bway ! Ston still there, an mine what I da za to 
ye, an whaur I da pwint. — Now ; — cris-cross,t girt a 
little a — b — c — d. — That's right Billy ; you'll zoon 
lorn tha cris-cross-lain — you'll zoon auvergit Bobby 
Jiffry — you'll zoon be a scholar cl. — A's a pirty chubby 
bway — Lord love'n ! 

Now, Pal Game ! you come an ves-sy wi' yer zister. 
— There ! tha forrels o' tha book be a brawk ; why 
dwon't ye take moor care o'm ? — Now, read ; — Ret 

* Come hither. 

f The oris, in this compound, and in cris-cross-lain, is very 
often, indeed most commonly, pronounced Kirs. 



MARY RAMSEY. 143 

Came ! why d'yedrean zaw ] — A^z/z. ta, ftww; — you 

da make a naise like a spinnin turn, or a duinbledore — 
all in one lidden — hum., hum. hum, — -You'll niver lorn 

ta read well tliic fashion. — Here. Pad. read the'aze vessea 

vor yer zister. There now. Het. you mine how yer 
zister da read, not hum, hum. hum. — Eese you ool. ool 
ye ! — I tell ye, you must, or I'll rub zum rue auver yer 
kons : — what d'ye tlienk o ! t ! — There, be gwon you Het, 
an dwon't ye come anuost yer zister ta vessy wi 3 er till 
you a got yer lessio moor parfit, or I'll gee zummet you 
on't ax me vor. Polly, you tell yer Grander Palmer 
tkat I da za Hetty Came stood lorn ta knitty : an a shood 
buy zum knittin nills and wosterd vor er ; an a shood 
git er zum nills and dird, vor er to lorn to zawy too. 

Now Miss Whitin, tha dunces be a gwon. let I hire 
how Dirty you can read. — I always zed that Pason 
Tattle's grandater ood lorn er book well. — Xow, Miss, 
what ha ye a got there I — Valentine an Orson. — A pirty 
stony, bit I be afeard there's naw moril to it. — What 
be all tha tuthermy books you a got by yer goodhnssey 
there in tha basket 1 GeeVzee-'em,* nif you please. 
Miss Polly. — Tha, JZeven Champions — Goody Two Shoes 
— Pawems vor Infant minds. — Theazamy here be by 
vur tha best. — There is a moril ta mooast o'm : an tha 
be pirty bezides. — Xow 3 Miss, please ta read thic — 

Tha Notorious Glutton. Pal Came .' turn tha glass ! 

dwon't ye zee tha zond is all hirnd out ; — you'll sta in 
school tha longer for't nif you dwon't mine it. — Xow, 

* Lit me see them. This is a singoilar expression, and is thus 
to be analysed; Give us to see them. 



144 MONOLOGUE. 

all o J ye be quiet ta hire Miss Whitin read. — There now! 
what d'ye za ta jitch radin as that ? — There, d'ye hire, 
Ret Came ! she d won't drean — hum, hum, hum. — I 
shood like ta hire er vessy wi' zum o' ye ; bit your bad 
radin ood spwile her good. 

Out o' Books ! 

A II the childem goo voath. 



SOLILOQUY OF BEN BOND, 

THE IDLETON. 

(First printed in the Graphic Illustrator.) 

Ben Bond was one of those sons of Idleness whom 
ignorance and want of occupation in a secluded coun- 
try village too often produce. He was a comely lad, 
aged sixteen, employed by Farmer Tidball, a querulous 
and suspicious old man, to look after a large flock of 
sheep. — The scene of his Soliloquy may be thus 
described. 

A green sunny bank, on which the body may agree- 
ably repose, called the Sea Wall ; on the sea side was 
an extensive common called the Wath } and adjoining 



SOLILOQUY. 145 

to it was another called the Island, both were occasi- 
onally overflowed by the tide. On the other side of 
the bank were rich enclosed pastures, suitable for fat- 
tening the finest cattle. Into these inclosures many 
of Ben Bond's charge were frequently disposed to stray. 
The season was June, the time mid- day. and the west- 
ern breezes came over the sea, a short distance from 
which our scene lay, at once cool, grateful, refreshing, 
and playful. The rushing Parret, with its ever shift- 
ing sands, was also heard in the distance. It should 
be stated, too, that Larence is the name usually given in 
Somersetshire to that imaginary being which presides 
over the idle. Perhaps it may also be useful to state 
here that the word Idleton is more than a provincialism, 
and should be in our dictionaries. 

During the latter part of the Soliloquy Farmer 
Tidball arrives behind the bank, and hearing poor Ben's 
discourse with himself, interrupts his musings in the 
manner described hereafter. It is the history of an 
occurrence in real life, and at the place mentioned. 
The writer knew Farmer Tidball personally, and has 
often heard the story from his wife. 

SOLILOQUY 

" Larence ! why doos'n let I up? Oot let I up ? ; ' 
Naw, I be sleapid, I cant let thee up eet. — " Now, La- 
rence ! do let I up. There ! bimeby maester'll come, 
an all beat I athin a ninch o' me life ; do let I up'!" — 
Nav) I want. 

" Larence ! I bag o' ee, do ee let I, up! D'ye zee \ tha 

L 



146 SOLILOQLTY. 

sliee-ape be all a breakin droo tlia badge inta tba vive- 
an- twenty yacres ; an Former Haggit'll goo ta La wi'n, 
an I sholl be kill'd !" — Naw I wunt — His zaw vihot : 
bezides I limit a had my nap out. " Larence ! I da za, 
tbee bist a bad un ! Oot tliee hire what I da za ? 
Come now an let I scooce wi\ Lord a massy npon me ! 
Larence, whys'n thee let I up ?" Cdz I ivunt. What ! 
muss'n I lid an hour like loither vawlc ta ate my bird an 
cheese ? I do za I ivunt ; and zaw His niver-tha-near 
to keep on. 

" Maester tawl'd I, nif I wer a good bway, a'd gee I 
iz awld wasket ; an I'm shower, nif a da come an vine 
I here, an tha shee-ape a brawk inta tha vive-an-twenty 
yacres, a'll vleng't awa vust ! Larence, do ee, do ee 
let I up ! Ool ee, do ee !" — Naiu, I tell ee I ivunt. 

" There's one o' tha sheep 'pon iz back in tha gripe, 
an a can't turn auver ! I mis g'in ta tha groun an 
g'out to'n, an git'n out. There's another in tha ditch ! 
a'll be a buddled ! There's a gird'l o' trouble wi' shee- 
ape ! Larence ; cass'n thee let I goo. I'll gee thee a 
ha peny nif oot let me." — Naw I can't let thee goo eet. 

" Maester'll be shower to come an catch me ! Larence ! 
doose thee hire 1 I da za, oot let me up. I zeed Far- 
mer Haggit zoon ater I upt, an a zed, nif a voun one o' 
my shee-ape in tha vive-an-twenty yacres, a'd drash I za 
long as a cood ston auver me, an wi' a groun ash' too ! 
There ! Zum o'm be a gwon droo tha vive-an-twenty 
yacres inta tha drauve : tha'll zoon hira vur anow. 
Tha 11 be poun'd. Larence ! I'll gee thee a penny nif 
oot let I up." Naw I wunt. 

" Thic not sheep ha got tha shab ! Dame tawl'd I 



SOLILOQUY. 147 

whun T upt ta-da ta mine tlia shab- water; I sholl pick 
it in whun I da goo whim. I vorgot it ! Maester 
war desperd cross, an I war glad ta git out o' tha langth 
o' iz tongue. I da hate zitch cross vawk ! LareDce ! 
what, oot niver let I up ? There ! zum o' tha shee-ape 
be gwon into Leek-beds ; an zum o'm be in Hounlake ; 
dree or vour o'm be gwon za vur as Sloio-wd ; the 
ditches be, menny o'm za dry 'tis all now range! 
common ! There ! I'll gee thee dree lid pence ta let 1 
goo." Why, thee hass'n bin here an hour, an vor what 
shood I let thee goo 1 I da zd, lie still I 

" Larence ! why doos'n let I up *? There ! zim ta I, 
I da hire thic pirty maid, Fanny o' Primmer Hill, a 
chidin bin I be a lyin here while tha shee-ape be gwain 
droo thic shord an tuther shord ; zum o'm, a-ma-be, be 
a drown' d ! Larence ; doose thee thenk I can bear tha 
betwitten o' thic pirty maid ? She, tha Primrawse o' 
Primmer-hill ; tha Lily o' tha level ; tha gawl-cup o' tha 
mead; tha zweetist honeyzuckle in tha garden; tha 
yarly vilet ; tha rawse o' rawses ; tha pirty pollyantice ! 
Whun I seed er last, she zed, " Ben, do ee mind tha 
shee-ape, an tha yeos an lams, an than zumbody ool mine 
you." Wi' that she gid me a beautiful spreg o' jessa- 
my, jist a pickt vrom tha poorch, — tha smill war za 
zweet. 

" Larence ! I mus o*oo ! I ool o'oo. You mus let I 

o o 

up. I out sta here na longer ! Maester'll be shower 
ta come an drash me. There, Larence ! I'll gee tuther 
penny, an that's ivry vard'n I a got. Oot let I goo ? " 
Naw, I mis ha a penny moor. 

(i Larence ! do let I up ! Creeplin Philip '11 be 



148 SOLILOQUY. 

shower ta catch me ! Thic cockygee ! I dwont like 
en at all ; a's za rough an za zoiir. An Will Popham 
too, ta betwite me about tha maid : a call'd er a rathe- 
ripe Lady-buddick. I dwont mislike tha name at all, 
thawf I dwont care vor'n a stra, nor a read moo'ate ; 
nor thatite o' a pin ! What da tha call he ? Why, 
tha ujiright man, cas a da ston upright ; let'n ; an let'n 
wrassly too : I dwont like zitch hoss-plds, nor sing el- 
stick nuther ; nor cock-squailin 7 ; nor menny wither 
ma-games that Will Popham cla volly. I'd rather zit 
in tha poorch, wi' tha jessamy ranglin roun it, and hire 
Fanny zeng. Oot let I up, Larence ?" — Naw } I tell 
ee I ont athout a penny moor. 

u Rawzey Pink, too, an Nanny Dubby axed I about 
Fanny. What bisniss ad tha ta up wi't ? I dwont 
like norn 'oin ? Girnin Jan too shawed iz teeth an 
put in his verdi. — I wish theeaze vawk ood mine ther 
awn consarns an let I an Fanny alooane. 

" Larence ! doose thee mean to let I goo V — JEese, 
nifthee't gee me tuther penny. — " Why I han't a got a 
vard'n moor ; oot let I up !" — Not athout tha penny. 
— " Now Larence ! doo ee, bin I hant naw moor money. 
I a bin here moor than an hour ; whaur tha yeos an 
lams an all tha tuthermy sheep be now I dwon' know. 
— Creeplin Philip* ool gee me a lirropin shower anow ! 



* Even remote districts in the country have their satirists, and 
would-be-wits ; and Huntspill, the place alluded to in the Solilo- 
quy, was, about half a century ago, much pestered with them. 
Scarcely a person of any note escaped a parish libel, and even 
servants were not excepted. For instance : — 



SOLILOQUY. 1-49 

There ! — I da tlienk I hired zummet or zumbody auver 
tha wall."— 

"Here, d — n thee! I'll gee tha tutlier penny, an 
zummet besides /" exclaimed Farmer TidbaH, leaping 
down the bank, with a stout sliver of a crab- tree in his 
hand. — The sequel may be easily imagined. 

Xanny Dubby, Sally Clink, 
Long Josias an Rawsy Pink, 

Girnin Jan, 

Creeplin Philip and the upright man. 

Creeplin Philip, (that is "creeplin," because he walked lamely,) 
was Farmer Tidball himself ; and his servant, William Popham, 
was the upright man. Girnin Jan is Grinning John. 



150 



TWO DISSERTATIONS 

ON SOME OF THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 

BY JAMES JENNINGS. 

(From the Graphic Illustrator.) 



No. I. — I, IC, ICH, ICnE, UTCHY, ISE, c\ CH', CHE 

ch'am, ch'ud, ch'll. 

Until recently few writers on the English Language, 
have devoted much attention to the origin of our first 
personal pronoun I, concluding perhaps that it would 
be sufficient to state that it is derived from the Anglo- 
Saxon ic. No pains seem to have been taken to ex- 
plain the connexion which ic, ich, and iche have with 
Ise, c\ cJi, che\ and their combinations in such words 
as ch'am, ch'ud, ctiill, &c. Hence we have been led to 
believe that such contractions are the vulgar corrup- 
tions of an ignorant and, consequently, unlettered peo- 
ple. That the great portion of the early Anglo-Saxons 
were an unlettered people, and that the rural popula- 
tion were particularly unlettered, and hence for the 
most part ignorant, we may readily admit ; and even 
at the present time, many districts in the west will be 
found pretty amply besprinkled with that unlettered 
ignorance for which many of our forefathers were dis- 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 151 

tinguished. But an enquiry into the origin and use of 
our provincial words will prove, that even our unlet- 
tered population have been guided by certain rules in 
their use of an energetic language. Hence it will be 
seen on inquiry that many of the words supposed to be 
vulgarisms, and vulgar and capricious contractions are 
no more so than many of our own words in daily use ; 
as to the Anglo-Saxon contractions of ch'am, ch'ucl, and 
ch'Ul; they will be found equally consistent with our 
own common contractions of can't, won't, he'll, you'll, 
&c, (fee. in our present polished dialect. 

Whether, however, our western dialects will be 
more dignified by an Anglo-Saxon pedigree I do not 
know ; those who delight in tracing descents through 
a long line of ancestors up to one primitive original 
ought to be pleased with the literary genealogist, who 
demonstrates that many of our provincial words and 
contractions have an origin more remote, and in their 
estimation of course, must be more legitimate than a 
mere slip from the parent stock, as our personal pro- 
noun, I, unquestionably is. 

As to the term " barbarous," Mr. Horace Smith, the 
author of " Walter Colyton," assures me that many of his 
friends call what he has introduced of the Somerset Dia- 
lect in Walter Colyton, " barbarous." — Xow, I should 
like to learn in what its barbarity consists. The plain 
truth after all is, that those who are unwilling to take 
the trouble to understand any language, or any dialect of 
any language, with which they are previously unacquain- 
ted, generally consider such new language or such dia- 
lect barbarous • and to them it doubtless appears so. 



152 TWO DISSERTATIONS ON 

What induces our metropolitan literati, those at least 
who are, or affect to be the arb/tri elegantiarum&mowg 
them, to consider the Scotch dialect in another light % 
Simply because such able writers, as Allan Ramsay, 
Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and others, have chosen 
to employ it for the expression of their thoughts. Let 
similar able writers employ our Western Dialect in a 
similar way, and I doubt not the result. And why 
should not our Western dialects be so employed ? If 
novelty and amusement, to say the least for such wri- 
tings, be advantageous to our literature, surely novelty 
and amusement might be conveyed in the dialect of the 
West as well as of the North. Besides these advantages, 
it cannot be improper to observe that occasional visits 
to the well-heads of our language, (and many of these 
will be found in the West of England) will add to the 
perfection of our polished idiom itself. The West may 
be considered the last strong hold of the Anglo-Saxon in 
this country. 

I observed, in very early life, that some of my 
father's servants, who were natives of the Southern 
parts of the county of Somerset, almost invariably em- 
ployed the word utchy for I. Subsequent reflection 
convinced me that this word, utchy, was the Anglo- 
Saxon iche, used as a dissyllable iche, as the Westpha- 
lians, (descendants of the Anglo-Saxons,) down to this 
day in their Low German (Westphalian) dialect say, 
" Ikke" for " ich" How or when this change in the 
pronunciation of the word, from one to two syllables, 
took place in in this country it is difficult to deter- 
mine \ but on reference to the works of Chaucer ) there 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 153 

is, I think, reason to conclude that iche is used some- 
times in that poet's works as a dissyllable. 

Having discovered that utchy was the Anglo-Saxon 
iche, there was no difficulty in appropriating 'die, V, 
and cli to the same root ; hence, as far as concerned 
iche in its literal sounds, a good deal seemed unravelled ; 
but how could we account for ise, and ees, used so com- 
monly for I in the western parts of Somersetshire, as 
well as in Devonshire ? In the first folio edition of the 
works of Shakspeare the ch is printed, in one instance, 
with a mark of elision before it thus, 'ch, a proof that 
the / in iche was sometimes dropped in a common and 
rapid pronunciation ; and a proof too, that, we, the 
descendants of the Anglo-Saxons, have chosen the initial 
letter only of that pronoun, which initial letter the 
Anglo-Saxons had in very many instances discarded ! 

It is singular enough that Shakspeare has the 'ch for 
iche, I. and ise, for I, within the distance of a few lines, 
in King Lear, Act IV. scene 6. But perhaps not 
more singular than that, in Somersetshire at the 
present time, may be heard for the pronoun I, utchy or 
iche, 'ch, and ise. To the absence originally of general 
literary information, and to the very recent rise of the 
study of grammatical analysis, are these anomalies and 
irregularities to be attributed. 

We see, therefore, that 'ctiud, ch'am, and 'cliill, are 
simply the Anglo-Saxon ich, contracted and combined 
with the respective verbs would, am, and will ; that 
the V and 'ch\ as quoted in the lines given by Miss 
Ham, are contracts for the Anglo-Saxon iche or I, and 
nothing else. 



154 TWO DISSERTATIONS ON 

It may be also observed, that in more than one mo- 
dern work containing specimens of the dialect of Scot- 
land and the North of England, and in, I believe, some of 
Sir Walter Scott's novels, the word ise is employed, so 
that the auxiliary verb will or shall is designed to be 
included in that word ; and the printing or it thus, I'se, 
indicates that it is so designed to be employed. Now, if 
this be a copy of the living dialect of Scotland (which I 
beg leave respectfully to doubt), it is a " barbarism" 
which the Somerset dialect does not possess. The ise in 
the west is simply a pronoun and nothing else ; it is, 
however, often accompanied by a contracted verb, as 
ise 11 for I will. 

In concluding these observations on the first per- 
sonal pronoun it may be added, that the object of the 
writer has been to state facts, without the accompani- 
ment of that learning which is by some persons deemed 
so essential in inquiries of this kind. The best learn- 
ing is that which conveys to us a knowledge of facts. 
Should any one be disposed to convince himself of the 
correctness of the data here laid before him, by re- 
searches among our old authors, as well as from living 
in the west, there is no doubt as to the result to which 
he must come. Perhaps, however, it may be useful to 
quote one or two specimens of our more early Anglo- 
Saxon, to prove their analogy to the "present dialect in 
Somersetshire. 

The first specimen is from Robert oj Gloucester, who 
lived in the time of Henry II., that is, towards the lat- 
ter end of the twelfth century ; it is quoted by Drayton, 
in the notes to his Polyolbion, song xvii. 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 155 

" The rneste wo that here vel hi King Henry's clays, 
In this lond, icholle beginne to tell yuf ick may.'"' 

Yel, for fell, the preterite of to fall, is precisely the 
sound given to the same word at the present time in 
Somersetshire. We see that icholle, for I shall, follows 
the same rule as the contracts 'child, ''cliam, and 'ch'ill. 
It is very remarkable that sholl, for shall, is almost in- 
variably employed in Somersetshire, at the present 
time. Yuf I am disposed to consider a corruption or 
mistake for gyfig^e)** that is, if the meaning and origin 
of which have been long ago settled by Home Tooke 
in his Purley. 

The next specimen is assuredly of a much more mo- 
dern date ; though quoted by Mr Dibdin, in his Metri- 
cal History of England, as from an old ballad. 

11 Chill tell thee what, good fellow. 
Before the vriars went hence, 
A bushel of the best wheate 
Was zold for Tourteen pence, 
And vorty egges a penny, 
That were both good and new, 
And this die say myself have seene, 
And yet I am no Jew." 

With a very few alterations, indeed, these lines would 
become the South Somerset of the present day. 



156 TWO DISSERTATIONS ON 



NO. II. — ER, EN, A — IT HET — THEEAZE, THEEAZAM, 
THIZZAM — THIC, THILK TWORDM — WORDN — ZINO. 

There are in Somersetshire (besides that particular 
portion in the southern parts of the country in which 
the Anglo-Saxon iche or utchy and its contracts prevail) 
two distinct and very different dialects, the boundaries 
of which are strongly marked by the River Parret. 
To the east and north of that river, and of the town of 
Bridge water, a dialect is used which is essentially, 
(even now) the dialect of all the peasantry of not only 
that part of Somersetshire, but of Dorsetshire, Wilt- 
shire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, 
and Kent ; and even in the suburban village of 
Lewisham, will be found many striking remains of it. 
There can be no doubt that this dialect was some 
centuries ago the language of the inhabitants of all the 
south and of much of the west portion of our island ; 
but it is in its greatest purity* and most abundant in 
the county of Somerset. 

* Among other innumerable proofs that Somersetshire is one 
of the strongholds of our old Anglo-Saxon, are the sounds 
which are there generally given to the vowels A and E. A 
has, for the most part, the same sound as we give to that 
letter in the word father in our polished dialect : in the words 
tall, call, ball, and vail (fall), &c, it is thus pronounced. The 
E has the sound which we give in our polished dialect to the a 
in pane, cane, &c, both which sounds, it may be observed, are 
even now given to these letters on the Continent, in very many 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 157 

No sooner, however, do we cross the Parrel and 
proceed from Combwich* to Cannington (three miles 
from Bridge water) than another dialect becomes 
strikingly apparent. Here we have no more of the 
zees, the hires, the veels, and the walks, and a numerous 
et csetera, which we find in the eastern portion of the 
county, in the third person singular of the verbs, but 
instead we have he zeeth, he sees, he veeFth, he feels, 
he waWth, he walks, and so on through the whole 
range of the similar part of every verb. This is of 
itself a strong and distinguishing characteristic ; but 
this dialect has many more ; one is the very different 
sounds given to almost every word which is employed, 
and which thus strongly characterize the persons who 
use them.t 

Another is that er for he in the nominative case is 
most commonly employed ; thus for, he said he would 
not, is used Er zad er oodn — Er ont goor y for, he will 
not go, &c. 

Again ise or ees, for I is also common. Many other 

places, particularly in Holland and in Germany. The name of 
Dr. Gall, the founder of the science of phrenology, is pro- 
nounced Gall, as we of the west pronounce tall, ball, &c. 

* Pronounced Cummidge. We here see the disposition in 
our language to convert wlch into idge ; as Dulwich and 
Greenwich often pronounced by the vulgar Dullidge, Greenidge. 

+ I cannot pretend to account for this very singular and 
marked distinction in our western dialects ; the fact, however, 
is so ; and it may be added, too, that there can be no doubt 
both these dialects are the children of our Anglo-Saxon 
parent. 



158 TWO DISSERTATIONS ON 

peculiarities and contractions in this dialect are to a 
stranger not a little puzzling ; and if we prooeed so 
far westward as the confines of Exnioor, they are, to 
a plain Englishman, very often unintelligible. Her 
or rather hare is most always used instead of the 
nominative she. Harth a dodd it, she has clone it ; 
Hare zad hard ddb. She said she would do it. This 
dialect pervades, not only the western portion of 
Somersetshire, but the whole of Devonshire. As my 
observations in these papers apply chiefly to the dialect 
east of the Parret, it is not necessary to proceed 
further in our present course ; yet as er is also 
occasionally used instead of he in that dialect it 
becomes useful to point out its different application in 
the two portions of the county. In the eastern part 
it is used very rarely if ever in the beginning of 
sentences ; but frequently thus : A did, did er % He 
did, did he ? Wordn er gwain i Was he not going *? 
Ool er goo ? will he go 1 

We may here advert to the common corruption, I 
suppose I must call it, of a for he used so generally in 
the west. As a zed ad do it for, he said he would do 
it. Shakespeare has given this form of the pronoun in 
the speeches of many of his low characters which, of 
course, strikingly demonstrates its then very general 
use among the vulgar ; but it is in his works usually 
printed with a comma thus 'a, to show, probably that 
it is a corrupt enunciation of he. This comma is, 
however, very likely an addition by some editor. 

Another form of the third personal pronoun 
employed only in the objective case is found in the 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 159 

west, namely en for him, as a zid en or, rather more 
commonly, a zid'n, he saw him. Many cases however, 
occur in which en is fully heard ; as geet to en, give it 
to him. It is remarkable that Congreve, in his comedy 
of" Love for Love" has given to Ben the Sailor in that 
piece many expressions found in the west. " Thof he 
be my father I an't bound prentice to en." It should 
be noted here that he be is rarely if ever heard in the 
west, but Ties or he is. We be, you be, and thd be are 
nevertheless very common. Er, employed as above, is 
beyond question aboriginal Saxon ; en has been 
probably adopted as being more euphonious than him* 
Het for it is still also common amongst the peasantry. 



* I have not met with en for him in any of our more early 
writers ; and I am therefore disposed to consider it as of com- 
paratively modern introduction, and one among the very few 
changes iu language introduced by the yeomanry, a class of 
persons less disposed to changes of any kind than any other in 
society, arising, doubtless, from their isolated position. It must 
be admitted, nevertheless, that this change if occasionally 
adopted in our polished dialect would afford an agreeable 
variety by no means unmusical. In conversation with a very 
learned Grecian on this subject, he seemed to consider because 
the learned are constantly, and sometimes very capriciously, 
introducing new words into our language, that such words as en 
might be introduced for similar reasons, namely, mere fancy 
or caprice ; on this subject I greatly differ from him : our 
aboriginal Saxon population has never corrupted our language 
nor destroyed its energetic character half so much as the mere 
classic :ir. Hence the necessity, in order to a complete 

knowledge of our mother tongue, that we should study the 
Anglo S axon still found in the provinces. 



160 TWO DISSERTATIONS ON 

In early Saxon writers, it was usually written hit, 
sometimes hyt. 

" Als hit in heaven y-doe, 
Evar in y earth beene it also." 

Metrical Lord's Prayer of 1160. 

Of theeaze, used as a demonstrative pronoun, both 
in the singular and plural, for this and these, it maybe 
observed, as well as of the pronunciation of many other 
words in the west, that we have no letters or combina- 
tion of letters which express exactly the sounds there 
given to such words. Theeaze is here marked as a 
dissyllable, but although it is sometimes decidedly two 
syllables, its sounds are not always thus apparent in 
Somerset enunciation. What is more remarkable in 
this world, is its equal application to the singular and 
the plural. Thus we say theeaze man and theaze men. 
But in the plural are also employed other forms of the 
same pronoun, namely theeazam, theeazamy and thizzum. 
This last word is, of course, decidedly the Anglo-Saxon 
Sippum. In the west we say therefore theeazam here, 
theeazamy here, and thizzam here for these, or these 
here ; and sometimes without the pleonastic and 
unnecessary here. 

For the demonstrative those of our polished dialect 
them, or themmy, and often them there or themmy there 
are the usual synonyms ; as, gee I themmy there shoes ; 
that is, give me those shoes. The objective pronoun 
me, is very sparingly employed indeed — I, in general 
supplying its place as in the preceding sentence : to this 
barbarism in the name of my native dialect, I must 



I 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 161 

plead guilty ! — if barbarism our metropolitan critics 
shall be pleased to term it.* 

Thic is in the Somersetshire dialect (namely that to 
which I have particularly directed my attention and 
which prevails on the east side of the Parret) invariably 
employed for that. Thic house, that house ; thic man, 
that man : in the west of the county it is thiky, or 
thecky. Sometimes thic has the force and meaning 
of a personal pronoun, as : 

Catch and scrabble 
Thic thafs yable. — 
Catch and scramble 
He who's able. 

Again, thic that dont like it mid leave it, — he who does 
not like it may leave it. 

It should be noted that th in all the pronouns above 
mentioned has the obtuse sound as heard in then 

* By the way I must just retort upon our polished dialect, 
that it has gone over to the other extreme in avoidance of the I, 
using me in many sentences where I ought most decidedly to be 
employed. It was me § is constantly dinned in our ears for 
it was I : as well as indeed one word more, although not a 
pronoun, this is, the almost constant use in London of the 
verb to lay for the verb to lie, and ketch for catch. If we at 
head- quarters commit such blunders can we wonder at our 
provincial detachments falling into similar errors ? none 
certainly more gross than this ! 

§ I am aware that some of our lexicographers have attempted 
a defence of this solecism by deriving it from the French c'est 
moi ; but, I think it is from their affected dislike of direct 
egotism ; and -that, whenever they can, they avoid the I in 
order that they might not be thought at once vulgar and 
egotistic ! 

M 



162 TWO DISSERTATIONS ON 

and this and not the thin sound as heard in both, thin, 
and many other words of our polished dialect. Chaucer 
employed the pronoun thic very often, but he spells it 
thilk ; he does not appear, however, to have always 
restricted it to the meaning implied in our that and to 
the present Somerset thic. Spenser has also employed 
thilk in his Shepherd's Calendar several times. 

" Seest not thilk same hawthorn stud 

How hragly it begins to bud 

And utter his tender head ?" 
" Our blonket leveries been all too sad 

For thilk same season, when all is yclad 

With pleasance." 

I cannot conclude without a few observations on 
three very remarkable Somersetshire words, namely 
twordn ^ wordn, and zino. They are living evidences of 
the contractions with which that dialect very much 
abounds. 

Twordn means it was not ; and is composed of three 
words, namely it, vjor, and not ; wor is the past tense, 
or, as it is sometimes called, the preterite of the verb to 
"be, in the third person singular;* and such is the 
indistinctness with which the sound of the vowel in 
vjere is commonly expressed in Somersetshire, that wor, 
wer, or w%r, will nearly alike convey it, the sound of 
the e being rarely if ever long ; twordn is therefore 

* It should be observed here that was is rather uncommon 
among the Somersetshire peasantry — wor, or tvar, being there 
the synonyms ; thus Spenser in his "Shepherd's Calendar" 
" The kid- 
Asked the cause of his great distress, 
And also who and whence that he iver 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 163 

composed, as stated, of three words ; but it will be 
asked what business has the d in it 1 To this it may 
be replied that d and t are, as is well known, often 
converted in our language the one into the other ; but 
by far the most frequently d is converted into t. Here, 
however, the t is not only converted into d, but instead 
of being placed after n, as analogy requires thus. 
twornt, it is placed before it for euphony I dare say. 
Such is the analysis of this singular and, if not 
euphonious, most certainly expressive word. 

Wordn admits of a similar explanation ; but this 
word is composed of two words only, wot and not ; 
instead of wornt, which analogy requires, a d is placed 
before n for a similar reason that the d is placed before 
a in twordn, namely for euphony ; word/a is decidedly 
another of the forcible words. 

Wordn er gwain ? — was he not going, may compete 
with any language for its energetic brevity. 

Zino, has the force and application of an interjection, 
and has sufficient of the ore rotundo to appear a classical 
dissyllable ; its origin is, however, simply the contract 
of, as I know, and it is usually preceeded in Somerset- 
shire by no. Thus, ool er do it ? no, zino ! / thawt a 
oodn. Will he do it 1 no, as 1 know ! I thought he 
would not. These words, T wordn, Wordn, and Zino, 
may be thus exemplified : 

You say he was there, and I say that a wordn ; 
You say that 'twas he, and I tell you that twordn ■; 
You ask, will he go ? I reply, not as I know ; 
You say that he will, and / must say, no, Zino ! 



164 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 

I cannot, perhaps, better close this work, than by- 
presenting to the reader the observations of Miss 
Ham, (a Somersetshire lady of no mean talents), in a 
letter to me on these dialects. 

The lines, of which I desired a copy, contain an ex- 
emplification of the use of utchy or iche, used contrac- 
tedly [see Utchy in the Glossary] by the inhabitants 
of the South of Somersetshire, one of the strongholds, 
as I conceive, of the Anglo-Saxon dialect. 

In our polished dialect, the lines quoted by Miss 
Ham, may be thus rendered — - 

Bread and cheese I have had, 

What I had I have eaten, 

More I would [have eaten if] I had [had] it. 

If the contradictions be supplied they will stand 
thus :- — 

Bread and cheese iche have a had 
That iche had iche have a eat 
More iche would iche had it. 



Clifton, Jan. 30, 1825. 



Sir 



I have certainly great pleasure in comply- 
ing with your request, although I fear that any com- 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 165 

munication it is in my power to make, will be of little 
use to you in your curious work on the West Country 
dialect. The lines you desire are these : 

Bread and cheese 'c' have a had, 
That 'c' had V have a eat. 
More 'ch wou'd 'e' had it. 

Sounds which, from association no doubt, carry with 
them to my ear the idea of great vulgarity : but which 
might have a very different effect on that of an unpre- 
judiced hearer, when dignified by an Anglo-Saxon 
pedigree. The Scotch dialect, now become quite 
classical with us, might, perhaps, labour under the 
same disadvantage amongst those who hear it spoken 
by the vulgar only. 

Although I am a native of Somersetshire, I have 
resided very little in that county since my childhood, 
and, in my occasional visits since, have had little 
intercourse with the aborigines. I recollect, however, 
two or three words, which you might not, perhaps, 
have met with. One of them of which I have tradi- 
tionary knowledge, being, I believe, now quite obsolete. 
Pitisanquint was used in reply to an inquiry after 
the health of a person, and was, I understand, equiva- 
lent to 'pretty ivell, or so so. The word Lamiger, which 
signifies an invalid, I have no doubt you have met 
with. When any one forbodes bad weather, or any 
disaster, it is very common to say Don't ye housenee. 
Here you have the verbal termination, which you 
remarked was so common in the West, and which I 
cannot help thinking -might have been originally used 



166 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS ON 

as a sort of diminutive, and that to milkee, signified 
to milk a little. 

As my knowledge of these few words is merely oral, 
I cannot answer for the orthography ; I have en- 
deavoured to go as near the sound as possible, and I 
only wish it were in my power to make some commu- 
nication more worth your attention. As it is, I have 
only my best wishes to offer for the success of your 
truly original work. 

I am, Sir, your most obedient, 

Elizabeth Ham. 



I have only one or two remarks to add to those of 
Miss Ham in the preceding letter. 

It will be seen, by reference to the exemplifications 
of the dialect, that occasional pleonasm will be found in 
it, as well as, very often, extraordinary contraction. 
I have adone, I have a had, are examples of the first • 
and HwordJn, g'up, g' under, banehond, &c. [see Bane- 
hond, in the Glossary] are examples of the last. 
Pitisanquint appears to me to be simply a contracted 
and corrupted mode of expressing Piteous and quaint, 
[See Pitis in the Glossary.] 

Don't ye houseenee is Do not stay in your houses. 
But the implied meaning is, be active ; do your best to 
provide for the bad weather which portends. In 
Somersetshire, most of the colloquial and idiomatic 
expressions have more or less relation to agriculture, 
agricultural occupations, or to the most common con- 



THE ANGLO-SAXON PRONOUNS. 167 

cerns of life, hence such expressions have, in process of 
time, become figurative, Thus, don't ye housenee, 
would be readily applied to rouse a person to activity. 
in order that he may prevent or obviate any approach- 
ing or portending, evil. 

I am still of opinion ; indeed I may say, I am quite 
sure, that the verbal terminations, sewy, knitty, &c, ? 
have no relation to diminution in the district East of 
the Parret. 

Upon the whole, it is evident that considerable care 
and circumspection are necessary in committing to 
paper the signs of the sounds of a language, of which 
we have no accredited examples, nor established cri- 
terion. In making collections of this work, I have 
not failed to bear this constantlv in mind. 



London : 

S. & J. Brawn, Printers, 13, Princes St., Little Queen St., 

Holborn, W.C. 



MAY 31 \m 



